The new Tribo lance from WAGNER Industrial Solutions offers a cost-effective manual coating solution for large workpieces.
An automated powder coating system for large workpieces inevitably means high investment costs. One alternative is manual coating using WAGNER's new Tribo lance PEM-TL1. The benefits derived from the ergonomic design and Tribo technology can be summed in higher productivity combined with reduced coating costs.
The Tribo lance PEM-TL1 is a manual powder coating gun for two-handed operation with a telescopic shaft that can be extended to over 2.80 metres. This opens up a whole range of advantages for the coater. It makes it possible to coat even very large workpieces, for example transport or infrastructure components such as lorry chassis or bridge sections, safely from the floor, with no need for ladders or ATEX platforms. Two-handed operation and a lightweight construction with a carbon shaft allow coaters to work for longer, extending daily production times by 30 minutes or more.
Higher productivity for powder coating
"Half an hour increase in coating times, every day, represents an additional productivity gain of some 50,000 euros per year," calculated Michael Topp, Senior Product Manager at WAGNER. "A further increase in productivity can be achieved when the benefits of the Tribo technology are fully exploited." Because while the Corona process charges the powder using a high-voltage electrode, in the Tribo process this takes place by means of friction on the inner wall of the powder tube. In contrast to Corona charging, there is no Faraday cage effect here, which means significantly faster coating around welds and recesses. It also allows very high layer thicknesses of up to 300 µm.
Greater corrosion protection: trend for powder-in-powder application
Another interesting aspect is that powder-in-powder application of primer and top coat is also a trend in the area of high corrosion protection. Instead of baking and cooling after applying each coat, the primer and top coat are applied directly after each other. This eliminates two cost-intensive and time-consuming process steps. "Powder-in-powder coating allows low unit costs, higher productivity, energy savings as well as reduced investment and maintenance costs," explained Michael Topp. "At the same time, the increased layer thickness and improved edge covering ensure very good corrosion protection, an important requirement, in particular, in the transportation and infrastructure sectors." In tests, the Tribo/Tribo combination proved the best in comparison with Corona/Tribo or Corona/Corona for this two-coat application. However, coaters need to make sure that they use a suitable powder for this process.
Different versions for an optimal coating result
WAGNER offers three versions of its Tribo lance PEM-TL1: a fixed 1-meter lance or a telescopic version, starting at 1.8 metres and extending to 2.8 metres. A quick-release closure allows the length to be adjusted very quickly. The Tribo lance also has a 3D 150° flexible swan neck. Multi-slotted nozzles, round jet nozzles or sprinkler nozzles are also available, as well as different hose lengths. WAGNER supplies the Tribo lance PEM-TL1 together with the Sprint X manual unit for optimal manual powder coating.
For further information: www.wagner.com