MFN was able to get an interview with Valerio Pezzoni, Turbotecnica Engineering Department Manager

(?) MFN: What are your company expertise areas?

(!) V.P.: Turbotecnica is a company which deals with surface treatments through the use of rotating turbines or compressed air for the superficial treatment known as "Shot-blasting".
Over the last years, Turbotecnica has been specialising more and more in the treatment of components relevant to the piping sector, from gas storage cylinders to the so-called "sucker roads" and threaded pipes for gas transportation.
Turbotecnica works with the most important manufacturers in the sector.
The strength of our company is to satisfy even the most difficult requests of the potential customers. And of course this characteristic allows us to differ from the other Italian manufacturers in the field of shot-blasting installation.

(?) MFN: How can you meet the customer's requirements?

(!) V.P.: Our engineering department is composed of 5 people. Two of them follow the preliminary draft of the special installations, where many different solutions are studied to find the best possible performance. Then, the different propositions are presented to the customer.

(?) MFN: How do you work at engineering level?

(!) V.P.: For almost two years, the design has been done with the use of 3D design software only. This software allows avoidance of even the smallest mistake, so easing the production and assembling phases.

(?) MFN: Could you please tell us something about one of the projects you recently developed?

(!) V.P.: At the moment Turbotecnica is dealing with the project of a shot-blasting machine that shot-blasts the inner surface of cylinders for the transport of liquefied gas in a completely automated way. These cylinders can have a maximum diameter of 700 mm and a length of 13 meters.
By using two lances with compressed air, the machine performs the treatment on both sides simultaneously through the opening holes of the cylinders.
The two lances are driven by brushless motors to ensure consistency in the treatment and optimise working speed at every stage.
A special mechanism removes the abrasive inside the cylinder at the end of the blasting cycle.

(?) MFN: Have you already developed other solutions in this sector?

(!) V.P.: Turbotecnica has been collaborating with a leading company in the energy industry for years.
We have developed machines for the high speed blasting of sucker rods with automatic loading and off-loading systems, machines for shot-peening on pipe threads, and shot-blasting solutions for the external treatment of the cylinders.

(?) MFN: Which other sectors does Turbotecnica cover?

(!) V.P.: Turbotecnica covers a wide range of sectors. In particular, beyond the energy area, our company deals with the fields of foundry, rolling, automotive, aeronautical, heavy structural steel, stones and marbles.

(?) MFN: What is the work philosophy in Turbotecnica?

(!) V.P.: Our philosophy is simplicity. We believe that too many unnecessary elements in a system lead to many checks and unnecessary issues.
We design our machines to ensure easy maintenance and use, following the philosophy of a great manager who believed that "in a system, the more it leads to state what is not there, it does not break".

(?) MFN: We know that Turbotecnica is very sensitive to the ecological impact. Can you please talk about it?

(!) V.P.: Shot-blasting, shot-peening, sand-blasting and deflashing machines developed by Turbotecnica can be used for a wide range of applications. However, mechanical treatments for surface finishing generate scraps that must be disposed within the global economic framework and vary with the type of material being treated, the abrasive being used, any surface films applied, and the agents deriving from other treatments.
Any machines equipped with suitable systems to eliminate scraps and impurities from the mixture of abrasive and intake air consist of:
A vibrating screen, crossed by the abrasive flow, that retain rough parts (paint, flash, etc.) that are then collected into an appropriate container;
A grit separator to remove abrasive fragments, thus ensuring a constant particle size when the abrasive is thrown by the turbines;
A dust control filter with self-cleaning cartridges that retain the particles in the air coming from the separator and the shot-blasting chamber.
Treatment residue, collected in any case, at the outlet of the screen, separator and hopper of the filtering unit, can be disposed of as scrap metal or inert material, except for scraps generated when using shot-blasting machines as systems to remove paint, which need specific treatments. In any case, filtered air can be released into the atmosphere or the working environment, as the dust content is lower than that prescribed by existing regulations.

(?) MFN: Can you please talk about your new filtering systems?

(!) V.P.: Turbotecnica has recently developed a new range of filters called "FCO" (Horizontal cartridges filter). The main characteristic of these new filters is the modularity. In fact, the filters body can be combined to achieve the desired air flow rate.
We further simplified the maintenance compared to our previous standard: the operator can change the filtering cartridges and handle each of them with no contact with the powder, thus protecting the operator's health.

(?) MFN: How do you assure the customers that the final product meets their requirements?

(!) V.P.: Any installation is pre-tested and tested in our company so as to deliver a reliable product on time and perform fast final installations.
Turbotecnica has also given particular attention to the after-sale assistance, following the customers in any need.

(?) MFN: Future plans?

(!) V.P.: Turbotecnica has the constant aim to improve its products through the use of dedicated design software and tight quality control systems.
Our company operates in compliance with EU standards and we issue a conformity declaration in accordance with the directives 89/392/CE, 91/368/CE, 93/44/CE and 93/68/CE.
Turbotecnica is certified UNI EN ISO 9001:2008.

MFN would like to thank Valerio Pezzoni for the interview!

For Information:
Turbotecnica SpA
via Macchiavelli 19/21
20025 Legnano (MI), Italy
Tel. +39.0331.576744-47
Fax +39.0331.576745
E-mail: info@turbotecnica.it
www.turbotecnica.it