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Al-Ko Kober Costs reduced and quality improved with the new powder booth. This company from Obdach in the Zirbenland, Austria, manufactures garden equipment. The range produced runs from lawnmowers to shredders, from scarifiers right up to 20 HP lawn tractors.
Searching for the ideal solution with practical trials and a requirements specification.
 Paint changing times of more than an hour, even though three men were deployed, were causing the departmental managers responsible to rack their brains. Analysis of the operating data show that every year 27 hours of production were lost solely due to set up and maintenance work.
Accordingly the decision in 2002 to invest in a new second powder line came easily to those responsible. What was important to the company management and the responsible for the project, was that the electrostatic system and the booths came from a single source and that the system would be tailor-made for the specific needs of AL -KO. Practical trials were run with the suppliers remaining in the race.
It was soon shown that a vertical arrangement of the guns provided ideal results even with complex work pieces. By the next criterion, film thickness distribution, Wagner was already ahead of the field. Other important points included the warranty, the shortest conversion times, separate and adjustable reciprocator stands for stationery guns, a made-to-measure powder centre, a continuous powder extraction system from a booth that can be walked on, the penetration power of the electrostatics and a high precipitation level. The recovery system had to have as little powder in circulation as possible, with the booth to be equipped with pre-and after coating at different positions, allow a great deal of light into the working area, be able to be walked on and, in spite of the conveyor speed of 4.5 m/min, still remain compact. Not an easy task, especially as to achieve optimal coating results 24 automatic guns were needed, of which the stationary guns are not always in use, but instead mostly manual pre- and after coating. For highly complex components there is even a third hand coater station required.
The SuperTech booth offered by Wagner, with its integral extraction belt, provides all requirements. Together with the powder feed and the mono-cyclone, it allows colour changes in between 10 and 20 minutes.
Clean environment due to perfect air management.
The first thing noticed in the powder plant at AL - KO is the really meticulous cleanliness which prevails around the new installation. At the beginning and the end of the booth, in which 24 automatic guns apply their ideally set powder quantities, sometimes even through angular nozzles, there is a manual coater outside the actual coating area. A one-sided wall of booth material extends as far as necessary at both ends, so that the overspray from the manual units is sucked directly into the booth and there is no notable contamination even on the working platform - even after several hours. The design with the extraction belt makes an essential contribution to perfect air control. On both sides of the belt which runs around the floor, extraction takes place through narrow slots along whole length of the booth. This causes a uniform downward flow in the whole working area, taking the overspray with it or it is carried out directly to the recovery system by the continuously running belt.
Plant maintenance made easy.
The anti-sinter powder hoses developed by Wagner make an important contribution to quick, clean powder changes. In the hose there is an extruded carbon strand which dissipates the troublesome frictional charge to earth. Quotes the departmental manager: "The installation makes maintenance easy for us. Not only with regard to the work required in normal operation, but Wagner has positively surprised us when it comes to wear. In addition to this, even today almost to a year after accepting the installation, we are expertly supported at all times. Deliveries of spares arrive within 24 hours of being ordered and we can get technical support on site and within 8 hours, and that works out really excellently here.
Overview of the Wagner system at AL-KO
Booth:
SuperTech quick colour change system
Mono-cyclone recovery at 22,000 m3/h
Powder centre W-MPZ-27
Application:
24 PEA-C3XL automatic guns
3 PEM-C3-R manual guns
Automatic reciprocators:
2 EBA-3-19
2 equipment groups for 2 and 4 fixed guns
4 ZW-900 depth positioning trolleys
Controller:
ProfiTech Control cabinet with
separate, swivelling Colour Touchscreen
Fire protection:
Inergen fire protection system
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WAGNER-Group
