EUROPE’S LARGEST INDUSTRIAL COATING PLANT BEGINS OPERATION IN GEESTE (GERMANY)
08 March 2005 - BASF Coatings AG

WOB – Wessling Oberflächenveredelung GmbH – in Geeste has just built Europe’s largest industrial coating plant and is thus entering a new business area. The innovative project has been co-financed with funds from Europe and Lower Saxony. WOB was founded in response to the new German federal immission control regulations, 31. BlmSchV, which must be complied with by 2007. As a result of these regulations, all industrial coating operations that process more than five metric tons of solvent per year must either drastically reduce their use of solvents or install expensive air pollution control systems.

Since investing in alternative, highly modern coatings processes will prove to be very expensive for small and medium-size paint application operations, and since the application itself is complicated, WOB is now offering its services as a custom coater.

According to WOB general manager Bernhard Jöne, the technical highlights of the coating facility include a sophisticated conveyor system for objects of up to 16 meters in length, 2.6 meters in width and 3.6 meters in height, cathodic e-coating technology with tanks offering up to 360 cubic meters bath capacity, the latest DDF powder feed technology in the powder coating facility, as well as the possibility to pre-treat and paint steel surfaces, galvanized steel surfaces, aluminum surfaces and finished assemblies.

To implement these technologies, Wessling Oberflächenveredelung GmbH (WOB), BASF Coatings AG and Henkel agreed to work together in a close partnership. Henkel is the system supplier for the pre-treatment of steel and aluminum surfaces prior to cathodic e-coating or powder coating, and BASF Coatings AG is the system supplier for the cathodic e-coating and powder coating products. By and large, truck trailer chassis, containers and add-on components for commercial vehicles and agricultural machines will be coated in the completely new plant.

Steel surfaces are immersed in alkaline degreasing, activation, nickel-free zinc phosphating and chrome-free passivation tanks prior to cathodic e-coating. For aluminum surfaces, a total of three different pre-treatment programs, including optional spray degreasing and chrome-free spray passivation are available, depending on the intended later use of the objects coated.

'As a result of the close cooperation that was already taking place in the project planning phase between Henkel specialists for technical service and engineering, Wessling Oberflächenveredelung GmbH and the persons in charge at BASF Coatings and b+m surface systems, it was possible to design optimal pre-treatment processes for the various material surfaces and at the same time ensure that a broad spectrum of parts could be processed in this large-scale plant,“ explains Lothar Warmeling, manager of sales for the General Line Germany division at Henkel. Henkel specialists were present on site for a number of weeks for the filling and startup of the plant. WOB employees responsible for pre-treatment were trained at Henkel in Düsseldorf in the areas of zinc phosphating and aluminum pre-treatment.

BASF Coatings supplies binders and pigment paste to the Emsland custom coater. These materials are fed into the 360 cubic-meter cathodic e-coat tank. “Filling the e-coat tank with this large a volume of material was a real logistical challenge that our employees gladly took on,” explains Rolf Eggen of CTS Account Management within BASF Coatings’ Automotive Refinish / Commercial Transport Coatings Solutions business. The BASF Coatings employees spent a total of two weeks on site. The services they provided included professional cleaning of the complete system, which took a week to complete. Filling also required a week's time. Then the new cathodic e-coat tank entered a test phase prior to the official start of production.

The tank now contains a lead-free black (similar to RAL 9005) electrocoat paint that is applied to the objects immersed in the bath using a cataphoretic deposition process. Epoxy resins are used as binders; isocyanate is used as the crosslinker.

Following the immersion process, the coating material is crosslinked in a convection oven at a panel temperature of 175°C. Depending on the requirements profile, the product can be applied at layer thicknesses ranging from 10 to 40 microns. Very good edge coverage is achieved through the use of special additives. With its outstanding corrosion protection properties, the product meets the factory standards of all of the major automotive manufacturers. Standards for “heavy-duty corrosion protection” are also met (for example: DaimlerChrysler standard DBL 7391.50).

In combination with the powder topcoat that follows, BASF Coatings AG offers a carefully coordinated system that has been used successfully for many years in the commercial vehicles market. The polyester powder has high UV stability as well as good chemical and mechanical resistance and provides a good base for lettering.

Wessling Oberflächenveredelung GmbH has up to 450 colors on hand for powder coating and can coat up to 4.5 million square meters of surface area per year.

Henkel Technologies

Henkel is an industry leader, offering brands and technologies that make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful. The Henkel Technologies division is one of the world’s leading suppliers of systems, services and products in the areas of adhesives and sealants as well as surface technologies for industrial users. The division's success is based on strong brands, including Loctite Teroson, P3, Hysol and Liofol. Henkel Technologies users include the automobile, electronics, aerospace, metalworking, machine-building, repair/maintenance, consumer products and packaging industries throughout the world.

“Henkel – A Brand like a Friend.” The Henkel Group is active in three strategic business areas – Laundry and Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries, and Adhesives, Sealants and Surface Treatment. In fiscal year 2003 the Henkel Group had sales of 9.436 billion euros and an operating income (EBIT) of 706 million euros. Worldwide, the Henkel Group has 50,000 employees. People in 125 countries throughout the world trust Henkel brands and technologies.

Additional Contacts:

WOB Wessling Oberflächenveredelung GmbH
Bernhard Jöne
Siemensstraße 3
49744 Geeste
Germany
Phone: +49 5937 980010

Henkel Technologies
General Line Germany
Lothar Warmeling
Henkelstraße 67
40191 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49-541-3890925

http://www.basf-coatings.com

More News:
  • For March 2005
  • From BASF Coatings AG
  • For Plastic Coatings