A busy scene in mid-February at COATINQ, the coating site of Europe's largest hot-dip galvanising service provider, ZINQ, in Castrop-Rauxel. The powder coating booth, newly installed just a few days ago, is having its debut, and the first series order needs to be completed on time: a coating in RAL 7035, or „light grey,“ for steel profiles in the modular conveyor systems sector. Customers can look forward to faster colour changes and efficient two-coat systems in the future.

„The test runs for the new plant were very good, and we are also very satisfied with the initial results of the official commissioning today,“ says Michael Spaan, Operations Manager at COATINQ Castrop-Rauxel GmbH (formerly Oberflächentechnik Castrop-Rauxel GmbH until 31.12.2020), without taking his critical gaze off the Power & Free conveyor system, which is already guiding the next components for powder coating to the booth. A booth that truly has a lot going on: the system is equipped, among other things, with 20 automatic guns, 2 manual guns, and 22 application pumps from Gema, an internationally leading provider in the field of electrostatic powder coatings. The pumps guarantee a constant and reproducible powder output with optimal powder coating distribution. Furthermore, a low overspray content allows for a significant reduction in powder coating losses. A reduction in the orange peel effect, i.e. the formation of a wavy powder coating surface, and a decrease in re-ionisation also ensure the high coating quality that is typical for ZINQ.

„By investing in the new powder coating booth, we're increasing our capacity once again, meaning we can now more flexibly handle rapid colour changes for different customer orders.“, So, Michael Spaan. 

Customers are offered both the application of solvent-free powder coatings directly after hot-dip galvanising, as well as coatings on steel without prior hot-dip galvanising or on aluminium – even with special properties from antimicrobial to anti-graffiti, depending on customer requirements. It is also certain that further investments will be made at the site: A new infrared cabin is due to be commissioned in April, which will allow two-coat systems to be applied one after another at shorter intervals, as the path through the stoving oven is eliminated for the primer coat. This provides the best basis for exceeding the diverse wishes of business partners, particularly regarding individual, long-lasting aesthetics, in the future.