Fully automated baking and spraying of tubes: technology-enabled, long-lasting and beautiful metal surfaces
INTRODUCTION
Metal pipes are widely used in furniture, automobiles, construction and other fields, but their surfaces are susceptible to corrosion, abrasion or oxidation. Fully automated baking and spraying process through intelligent technology, for the pipe wear “protective coat”, in order to enhance the aesthetic at the same time to extend the service life. In this paper, we will analyze the core process, technical advantages and consumer value of this process in an easy-to-understand way.
First, the process: from “plain” to “fine makeup” of the six steps of metamorphosis
1. Pre-treatment: cleaning and priming to ensure “skin health”.
Degreasing and rust removing: the pipe enters the automatic cleaning line, removes oil through alkaline solution, removes rust by sand blasting or acid washing, and ensures the surface is clean and free of impurities.
Phosphate treatment: Soak in phosphate solution to form a fine layer of phosphate crystals to enhance the adhesion of the coating (similar to the skin “primer”).
Drying: High-temperature drying to remove moisture and avoid blistering after spraying. 2.
2. Automated spraying: even coverage and precise coloring.
Electrostatic spraying technology: the spray gun releases high-voltage static electricity, so that the powder coating (or liquid coating) is charged and uniformly adsorbed on the surface of the pipe, reducing the waste of paint and covering the dead corners (e.g., the inner wall of the pipe).
Robot precision control: the mechanical arm moves according to the preset program to ensure the coating thickness is consistent (usually 80-120 microns), avoiding the uneven thickness problem of manual spraying.
3. Baking and curing: high temperature “fixing” and strengthening performance.
High-temperature baking: After spraying, the pipe enters the curing oven and is baked at 180-220°C for 15-30 minutes, where the powder coating melts to form a dense film layer and the liquid coating is cured by cross-linking reaction.
Performance upgrade: high temperature makes the coating hardness increase (up to 2H pencil hardness), corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance significantly enhanced.
4. Cooling and quality control: Strict quality control, delivery with peace of mind.
Cooling and shaping: Rapid cooling by air-cooled or water-cooled system to avoid deformation of the coating.
Automated inspection: machine vision system scans the surface to identify scratches, bubbles and other defects to ensure that the appearance of each pipe is up to standard.
Second, the core advantage: why choose fully automatic process?
1. More stable quality
Robot spraying thickness error ≤ 0.01mm, far more than the manual precision (± 0.1mm), to avoid “orange peel”, “hanging” and other problems.
The baking temperature and time are automatically controlled by PLC, eliminating the curing defects caused by human operation.
2. Environmental protection and health
Using water-based paint or environmentally friendly powder (does not contain benzene, formaldehyde), VOC emissions reduced by 90%, in line with EU RoHS standards.
Fully enclosed workshop with exhaust gas purification system to protect the health of workers and consumers.
3. Enhanced durability
The coating has passed the salt spray test (no rusting for 500-1000 hours) and the weather resistance test (no color fading after 2000 hours of UV exposure), and the life span can be more than 10 years.
Surface scratch resistance is excellent, suitable for high-frequency use of furniture tubes (such as table and chair supports).
4. Personalization and efficiency
Support a variety of colors (Pantone color card customization), texture (frosted, metallic luster) to meet the modern home aesthetic.
Fully-automated line capacity is up to 2000 pcs/day (based on 6 meters tube), which is 3 times faster than the traditional process.