In production machinery manufacture, it is not only the technical challenges that count but, to an increasing extent, also the visual requirements of housings. To enable Lahntechnik, refrigeration solutions for industry, to be especially flexible when delivering its high-quality equipment to customers, the company operates a state-of-the-art paint & lacquer application installation and places its confidence in WB coatings' premium products. Pretreatment involves fully automated phosphating in conjunction with fast-drying texture paints, which results in much shorter production times – and that, in turn, increases profitability.
In production machinery manufacture, it is not only the technical challenges that count but, to an increasing extent, also the visual requirements of housings. To enable Lahntechnik, refrigeration solutions for industry, to be especially flexible when delivering its high-quality equipment to customers, the company operates a state-of-the-art paint & lacquer application installation and places its confidence in WB coatings' premium products. Pretreatment involves fully automated phosphating in conjunction with fast-drying texture paints, which results in much shorter production times – and that, in turn, increases profitability.
Whether used as a one-off individual solution or in a series production environment, for fluid or solid media: whenever industrial, technical research, catering or craft processes require refrigeration, intelligent configurations are in demand, including such aspects as energy efficiency and quality stability. Lahntechnik has positioned itself in the market as a manufacturer of refrigeration solutions, in particular for the machinery, plastics, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries. Every month, an average of 600 to 1000 installations leave their facility in Nassau, central Germany. This SME's production portfolio ranges from precise refrigeration in very small spaces to 30 metre refrigeration tunnels.
Whether used as a one-off individual solution or in a series production environment, for fluid or solid media: whenever industrial, technical research, catering or craft processes require refrigeration, intelligent configurations are in demand, including such aspects as energy efficiency and quality stability. Lahntechnik has positioned itself in the market as a manufacturer of refrigeration solutions, in particular for the machinery, plastics, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries. Every month, an average of 600 to 1000 installations leave their facility in Nassau, central Germany. This SME's production portfolio ranges from precise refrigeration in very small spaces to 30 metre refrigeration tunnels.
"Simply providing our customers with a good machine that fulfils their specifications does not mean we have achieved our own target. Requirements continue to increase in terms of the outer appearance of products", emphasises Dieter Keuser, Managing Director at Lahntechnik. Makers of factory equipment also have to take into account the corporate design needs of the customer or match particular colour shades in the production sheds in which the refrigeration systems are often part of a larger production unit.
In order to meet the requirements of its customers in terms of visual impact, and impress clients with its flexibility, Lahntechnik decided to install its own paint shop, in contrast to many competitors, and this was a key investment in 2016. Pretreatment of the housing surfaces involves fully automated phosphating. With the aid of a nozzle ring, oils and grease from upstream manufacturing processes are removed. This serves the purposes of corrosion protection, promotes better paint adhesion and, last but not least, saves the primer application stage, which, in turn, shortens the time required for the coating process.
"Simply providing our customers with a good machine that fulfils their specifications does not mean we have achieved our own target. Requirements continue to increase in terms of the outer appearance of products", emphasises Dieter Keuser, Managing Director at Lahntechnik. Makers of factory equipment also have to take into account the corporate design needs of the customer or match particular colour shades in the production sheds in which the refrigeration systems are often part of a larger production unit.
In order to meet the requirements of its customers in terms of visual impact, and impress clients with its flexibility, Lahntechnik decided to install its own paint shop, in contrast to many competitors, and this was a key investment in 2016. Pretreatment of the housing surfaces involves fully automated phosphating. With the aid of a nozzle ring, oils and grease from upstream manufacturing processes are removed. This serves the purposes of corrosion protection, promotes better paint adhesion and, last but not least, saves the primer application stage, which, in turn, shortens the time required for the coating process.
The structure paints used in factory equipment engineering have to be not only resilient to mechanical and chemical external influences, they also have to provide a high standard of colour stability from one batch to the next. "We cannot afford to have the housing painted a slightly different shade from the doors. Reworking something like that can quickly destroy our costing calculations and our contractual obligation to deliver on time", Keuser elaborates.
When Lahntechnik upgraded its in-house machinery, it opted to change its paint supplier and now uses WB coatings. The products are applied manually using low-pressure spray guns and this presupposes extremely stable viscosity. "Before the change, we often had to mess around with thinners before we got the paint consistency we needed. That was unacceptable for both health and commercial reasons", explains Keuser. For this reason, Lahntechnik now uses low-solvent, high-solid PUR Plus texture paint and water-dilutable Aquapur texture paints. To shorten the coating process even without oven curing, the customer uses the corresponding Platinum Dry hardener and Aquapur catalyst.
"With our refrigeration systems, our customers appreciate the combination of well-thought-out technology and reliable appearance. Freshly painted housings are like a calling card for our technical expertise", Keuser confirms. The decision in favour of the texture paints supplied by WB coatings has paid for itself in many ways: increased handling convenience, shorter turnaround times and the assurance of consistent results. Their customers include DMG Mori (machine tools), Satisloh (machines for manufacturing spectacles and fine optical instruments) and the Starrag Group (precision machine tools for machining metal, composites and ceramics).
The structure paints used in factory equipment engineering have to be not only resilient to mechanical and chemical external influences, they also have to provide a high standard of colour stability from one batch to the next. "We cannot afford to have the housing painted a slightly different shade from the doors. Reworking something like that can quickly destroy our costing calculations and our contractual obligation to deliver on time", Keuser elaborates.
When Lahntechnik upgraded its in-house machinery, it opted to change its paint supplier and now uses WB coatings. The products are applied manually using low-pressure spray guns and this presupposes extremely stable viscosity. "Before the change, we often had to mess around with thinners before we got the paint consistency we needed. That was unacceptable for both health and commercial reasons", explains Keuser. For this reason, Lahntechnik now uses low-solvent, high-solid PUR Plus texture paint and water-dilutable Aquapur texture paints. To shorten the coating process even without oven curing, the customer uses the corresponding Platinum Dry hardener and Aquapur catalyst.
"With our refrigeration systems, our customers appreciate the combination of well-thought-out technology and reliable appearance. Freshly painted housings are like a calling card for our technical expertise", Keuser confirms. The decision in favour of the texture paints supplied by WB coatings has paid for itself in many ways: increased handling convenience, shorter turnaround times and the assurance of consistent results. Their customers include DMG Mori (machine tools), Satisloh (machines for manufacturing spectacles and fine optical instruments) and the Starrag Group (precision machine tools for machining metal, composites and ceramics).