Battling with variation in quality?
IT’S ALL ABOUT INNOVATION AND SIMPLIFICATION
A common view in the industry is that 60–70% of paint quality problems are caused by pre-treatment. What are the reasons for the quality problems in pre-treatment? Below, you will find a list of typical problem areas and how our principal has taken these quality factors into account in its product development:
Unsuitability of chemicals for pieces to be pre-washed
– Many of our chemicals are suitable for all metals, including Toran, Pronortec, DBT, DNAD and Sache products
– Our principal also provides customisation as part of product development
Incorrect chemical ratios
– The one-step Toran solution contains no components to be mixed
– Our water-based chemicals include premixes, as well as easy-to-use one-component solutions
– This minimises the number of components to be mixed and facilitates the maintenance of the pre-wash process
Sludge — a by-product of the chemical process
– The zero-sludge or almost zero-sludge product families are Toran, Pronortec, DBT, DNAD and Sache
– Learn more in the Battling with sludge? article
Pre-treatment is deliberately carried out faster than the specified phase times
– The short phase times of our products allow you to increase line speed without affecting quality
Heating required for chemical washes and rinsing waters
– Our product range includes products that are not rinsed/heated, such as Toran, Pronortec, Sache.
Use of low-quality water
– Water quality (tap/purified water) has a significant impact on the quality of pre-treatment. Learn more here.
– We provide easy-to-use, high-quality clean water solutions supplied by our principal, always tailored to your specific needs. Learn more here.
Flash rust due to ineffective drying or passivating
– During processing, Toran forms a surface that protects against corrosion and also prevents the formation of flash rust. Painting can be carried out after three months, for example.
– Several of our water-based solutions have added short-term passivating to enable painting in a few hours to a few days.
– Purified water solutions can also reduce the incidence of flash rust. Learn more here.
Errors in the use and maintenance of equipment
– The more stable (e.g. the yield of sludge) and simpler the production process, the less room there is for human error and technical problems.
– For example, the one-step Toran and five-step Pronortec processes have minimised pre-treatment steps, making them stable to operate and maintain.
Prolonging the replacement of prewash chemicals and rinses
– Toran is waterless and the chemical is never changed
– With the zero-sludge Pronortec solution, the chemical change interval is at least 6–12 months
Conscious streamlining to maintain the quality of the washing process
– The simplicity of our solutions reduces the need for maintenance.
– Some of our products do not need daily quality checks: for example, the Toran analysis is carried out twice a year, and the Pronortec measurement and dosing have been automated.
The pretreatment chemicals we represent have been developed with a focus on eliminating or minimising negative environmental, usability and quality issues. The choice of chemicals has a direct impact on the final result of the pre-treatment and the costs of the entire painting line.