Pros and Cons of Coating Your Rotating Equipment

To coat or not to coat? Rotating equipment owners know protective coatings safeguard against fouling and corrosion, but are they absolutely necessary for every application? Which conditions and/or process media should be considered for coatings? Will coating impact the performance of the equipment positively or negatively? Which coating should be used for which process media? Will coating critical components reduce the need for rotating equipment repairs and downtime? These are the questions rotating equipment owners ask when deciding whether to invest in this practice. The main reason owners look at using coatings is to prolong service life, decrease operation and maintenance costs, and increase equipment efficiency.

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The Advantages of Coatings

Equipment reliability and longevity are the two biggest concerns for industrial facilities and undeniably so, as capital equipment is your largest investment. Depending on the size of the equipment and its usage, the cost of the coating and labor can be paid back in less than a year by an increase in efficiency of just a mere two percent. Other secondary benefits of using coatings are decreased electricity usage and increased performance. Rotating equipment is subjected to harsh conditions with long operational times and abrasive or corrosive process materials. Coatings help protect against the damage caused by wear-prone applications. They have been designed to be wear resistant, reduce friction, protect against caustic/acidic materials and cleaning agents, and increase line efficiencies. Coatings come in two categories – organic and inorganic. Organic coatings range from thermoset and thermoplastic polymers to elastomers. They are the most commonly used and cost effective mode of protection. Inorganic coatings are non-carbon based compounds such as glass, metals, silicones, and ceramics. Choosing one type over the other involves understanding the ease of coating application and whether the service condition is mechanical, thermal, or chemical. Inorganic coatings perform highly in abrasive and corrosive applications and last long, but tend to be more expensive than organic coatings. Check with your equipment manufacturer for coating recommendations.

The Disadvantages of Coatings

Sometimes coatings are not the best solution. Coatings work well for equipment that is stationary and that will not experience high volumes of turbulence or erosion from abrasive particles. Coatings are great short-term solutions in your anti-corrosion strategy. Once a coating has been applied, it immediately begins a degradation process that will require touch-ups, maintenance, or even a complete reapplication. Coatings can also inhibit pump performance by causing obstacles or closing off passes and ports. When these applications begin to throttle your equipment, it moves the machinery farther away from its original design point, thus reducing efficiency and service life. In high velocity services, coatings will be quickly removed and will be less cost-effective in the long run because of constant reapplications.

An Alternative to Coatings

If organic and inorganic coatings are not right for your rotating equipment’s service condition, then it may be time to check out structural composite components. There are numerous advantages to composites. First and foremost, they are corrosion and chemical resistant. With metallic equipment that has been coated, process media is able to penetrate the coating, getting underneath it, and corroding the metal components. Composites are a solid piece, so coating is not required, thus eliminating corrosion issues. They are also incredibly strong and lightweight. Lightweight materials are easier to move and equate to significant energy savings. Their high strength makes them durable and resistant to pitting and damage. Composites also have excellent elasticity. When metal components are under stress, they will dent and yield. Composites will spring back into place after the stressor is removed. Because they are non-metallic, composites are also non-conductive, making them safer in high-voltage operations.

Composites are an excellent choice for rotating equipment owners, but it requires investing in new parts and equipment. There are advantages and disadvantages to using coatings on your rotating equipment. You will have to look at several factors to determine whether using a coating is your best solution or whether to invest in structural composite components and equipment instead. Though coatings are a more short-term solution, they are a more cost-effective investment (up front) and easy to apply. If you are looking for a more permanent, long-term solution, check out structural composites. Either way, you will see immediate benefits of increased efficiency, reduced energy usage, prolonged service life, and a reduction in the need for rotating equipment repair.

Anticorrosion Coatings Pump Up Efficiency. Industrial Equipment News.

Four Reasons Why Coil Lines Are Not Just for Painting

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Manufacturers have long benefitted from the speed, precision and non-polluting aspects of using coil lines to make prepainted metal panels. However, some manufacturers are unaware that many companies are using coil lines for a variety of different functions on metal coils, from reclamation, to pretreatment, to simply giving it a better-looking finish. Here are four ways manufacturers benefit from using coil lines as an effective first-step operation beyond prepainting.

#1 - Coil coating offers easier and effective stamping

When it comes to stamping metal parts, there are a lot of issues with the use of lubes and oil. Perhaps the biggest issue is safety. During this process, oil often drips onto the floor which can be dangerous for employees walking or operating a forklift. In some cases, using oil can affect the productivity of the manufacturer. For example, companies fabricating parts in the past have applied so much oil that they had to cease use of millions of dollars-worth of robotic equipment because the steel had become too slick to grasp. By switching to a coil-line-applied dry film lubricant, or DFL, the companies can increase productivity and keep plants clean.

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#2 - Benefits of Preprimed Metals

Coil coaters offer a variety of options for manufacturers that post-paint products don't. By purchasing a preprimed material that has been cleaned, pretreated and primed at a coil line, even parts that require post painting can use the coil coating process to eliminate the first step of the painting process. Outsourcing the cleaning, pretreating and corresponding waste treatment that occurs with those operations makes for sound financial and environmental decisions. Using a coil coating primer from a coil line can also provide protection from corrosion and debris when steel products are stored in warehouses before they are ready for post painting.

In addition, coil lines can also apply primers suitable for welding. These primers are conductive and can be used whenever resistance welding is used to join metals. Weldable primers also protect products from rust. Trying to weld mill finished products with their corresponding mill oil can cause a smoke hazard. Therefore, using a coil line to eliminate oil and apply a weldable primer not only delivers a better quality product, it also leads to a much safer work environment.

#3 - Environmental and Regulatory Benefits

While using metal pretreated from a coil line helps keep a shop floor clean and safe, coil lines also help customers keep up with the growing number of environmental regulations. The coil coating process itself is considered the most environmentally responsible way to apply a pretreatment to steel and aluminum substrate. Outsourcing pretreatment also eliminates the need for workers to be exposed to chemicals or solvents and allows for any environmental issues to be concentrated, controlled and even eliminated.

Coil lines use a highly efficient closed-loop process, which means the coating line includes a thermal oxidizer that burns the harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and returns the heat energy created during the thermal oxidation process back into the manufacturing facility. This saves energy and eliminates pollutants. Coil coating achieves at least a 98 percent rate for capture and destruction efficiency, which eliminates toxic air pollutants that would otherwise be released in the air. Coil lines also minimize flue gas emissions by maximizing thermal efficiencies and minimizing the volume of air sent to the control device. Coil lines also reduce energy consumption by having a workable system in place to minimize the quantity of fresh air being used in the curing ovens and thermal oxidizer.

Coil line companies are subject to the highest EPA standards and meet or exceed these standards as they become more stringent year after year.

#4 - Coil coating provides precision and efficiency

The best electrostatic paint spraying system fails to deliver a coating as consistent and efficient as a coil line. Coil lines are designed for speed and efficiency, with a transfer efficiency of nearly 100 percent. There is no overspray, waste or release of chemicals into the atmosphere. Coil lines run metal coils in a continuous process which provide consistency from head to tail and edge to edge.

Whether a manufacturer is looking for a cleaner and safer plant floor, a more precise pretreatment or an easier way to abide by the latest environmental regulations, using a coil line can greatly improve a company’s productivity, lower costs in the long run and reduce the amount of inventory in warehouses.

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