More than 320 exhibitors, exclusively from the field of industrial coating technology, were represented at the 3rd PaintExpo at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre (Germany) from the 13th through the 16th of April, 2010. PaintExpo was thus corroborating its position as the leading international trade fair for the coating technology industry.

The portfolio presented by PaintExpo covered the entire process sequence from pre-treatment right on up to final inspection, and included systems and application technology, paints, drying and cross-linking system, conveyor systems, automation solutions and painting robots, measuring and test equipment, quality control, environmental engineering, accessories, consumable materials and services.

Numerous Innovations in all Exhibition Sectors

Most of the exhibiting companies took advantage of the leading international trade fair to showcase innovations and further developments, for example system concepts which result in drastically reduced energy consumption for powder coating, liquid painting and electrophoretic dip painting. One of these presented innovations was the E-SCRUB from Eisenmann, an electrostatic separation system for paint overspray which has now been developed further for use in almost all industrial coating processes. By eliminating complex mechanical filter systems, E-SCRUB ensures constant flow rates without pressure fluctuations – an essential prerequisite for optimum production conditions and high quality coatings. E-SCRUB is the energy-efficient, environmentally beneficial and cost-cutting alternative to wet and dry separation in spray booths. It cuts operating costs significantly, thus ensuring rapid amortization of the investment costs. Thanks to its design, it can be retrofitted in existing plants without difficulty. Fast colour changes with a minimum use of cleaning agent and small paint loss is the basic claim of the paint shop operator. I.L.S. therefore presented an innovative colour changing module with an integrated pig system, called PSS (Paint Safe System), use as A or A/B system, which reduces the paint and the use of cleaning agent by up to 80%. For the pre-treatment Surtec showcased alternative processes and new technologies. Besides the established yellow and green chromatings, the company also offered a chrome(VI)-free process for the treatment of aluminium. SurTec 641 is a chromium-free, no-rinse process and convinces by its easy and pinpoint dosage of the 2 components. Also, it is characterized by its high process safety and is certified by QUALICOAT. SurTec 650 chromitAL produces passivated layers on aluminium, which have similar characteristics as a yellow chromating. Besides the suitability as pre-treatment (GSB- and Qualicoat-approval), the passivated surface also offers an outstanding bare corrosion protection. A multi-metal capable alternative for the Tri-Cationic phosphating is SurTec 609 ZetaCoat. It is suitable for steel-, zinc- and aluminium surfaces. The process works at low temperature, has a short treatment time and is easy to handle. The conversion treatment is free of Zn, Ni, Mn, PO4, NO3/N02, hydroxylamine or hydroxyl ammonium sulfate and nearly forms no sludge. In comparison to phosphatings, similar corrosion protection values are achieved by lower production costs. The process meets all requirements of the RoHS EU-Directive 2002/95/EC and the WEEE EU Directive 2002/96/EC. With XTRA-CORR, Dow Powder Coatings introduced the most recent patented and exclusive anti-corrosion technology at PaintExpo. The new technology is available in a range of gloss RAL polyester products which demonstrates a high performance protection on industrial applications. XTRA-CORR is certified Qualicoat class 1 and has a greater operating window with chrome free pre-treatment. It enhances the durability of the diverse coatings finishes. Alongside its standard range, the powder coatings manufacturer TIGER Coatings was using the Paint Expo as the forum for showcasing its new superdurable eloxal effects. These present a genuine alternative to the conventional anodising process. Another main focus was on degassing-inhibitive powder-coatings for heavily gassing castings and galvanised substrates. These coatings help to achieve significant reductions in the number of rejects caused by degassing phenomena, and to create added value with high-grade surface finishes. Protech-Oxyplast also was officially presenting a range of new developments. One of these new products was the PE65FE, which stands for a new type of degassing low-bake polyester powder with an exceptional edge covering and a top UV-resistance. But most of all this powder has a very low curing temperature (150°C) or a very short curing time what results in a lower production cost (until 0,20 €/m²) or a shorter production time (tot 30%). Due to its high level of cross-linking (lowered porosity) the powder coatings offer a very high water and solvent resistance and a better surface hardness. The low-bake range PE65FE is applicable on all types of galvanised and other degassing and non-degassing substrates. A new paint removal machine, designed for gentle injection paint stripping on water basis, was showcased by Rosink. The top-loader paint stripping machine is conducted in 1,4301 stainless steel. With sizes from 650 mm Ø up to 2150 mm Ø it can be used for paint removal of small parts, bulk goods and large-scale component parts.
The next PaintExpo will take place at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre in spring 2012.

For Information:
Jürgen Haußmann
FairFair GmbH
Max-Eyth-Strasse 19
72644 Oberboihingen, Germany
Tel. +49.7022.6025510, Fax 6025577
E-mail: info@paintexpo.de
www.paintexpo.de