TPT November 2012

Industry News

Varnishing line commissioned for the Salzgitter group

standards, given the type of chemical varnish used. One of the key technical points was the varnish thickness: it had to be specially controlled. On the one hand, tubes need a certain amount of varnish in order to get enough protection (around 20 microns). On the other hand, the varnish has to dry before packing and the level of varnish consumed has to stay as low as possible. The testing sessions enabled the company to find the settings for the best result. The different settings available on the new line are: the speed of tube (up to 90 metre/minute), the air guns position (relative to the tube), the varnishing spray form, the flow level and so on. The productivity initially aimed for has been achieved. The quality of tubes has dramatically increased (varnish thickness controlled), opening new markets to the Salzgitter plant. Provea

THE main target of the Provea project was tube protection against corrosion (most of the tubes are shipped, increasing corrosion risks for the final customer). The old machine used by Salzgitter did not guarantee a good result (tubes used to stick together because of the thick layer of varnish). The outside diameter range started from 20 up to 90mm. The system designed is fully automatic, from the initial bunch of tube up to the storage table. A conveyor drives the tubes throughout one closed cabinet. The varnishing technology chosen consists of two spray booths, one on each side of the tube. Two specific air guns have been placed on each side of the tube. Varnish projections that do not touch the tube are aspirated by two powerful spray booth systems (equipped with multilayer filters). All electrical panels had to respect ATEX

Varnishing line

also works on complementary technical systems for the line: pre-heating solutions for tubes and drying systems after varnishing. Provea – France Email: contact@provea-machine-tube.com Website: www.provea-machine-tube.com

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N ovember 2012