Solutions
POWDER COATING
Powder coating is a clean process that results in an attractive, long-lasting and high-quality finish. It is applied as a free-flowing dry powder and cured under heat for a solid finish. The electrostatic or powder coating is gaining importance in the industry as it is the most ecological option because it has no solvents or contaminants and, additionally, the excess can be reused. This type of coating application requires an electrostatic system to get the material to adhere to the piece; for this purpose, an electrical gun, adequate electrostatic equipment for powder coat and a pressure air system to apply the paint. After the product has been applied to the piece, the following step is a curing process where electrostatic powder coating is heated at its melting point. An automatic powder coating system reduces the costs of materials in comparison with a similar liquid coating line. Such automatic systems provide a high-quality finish with minimum powder amounts that also allows quick color changes. At Dove Equipment, we are specialists in designing processes to apply powder and liquid coating. We offer spray booths, extraction systems, personal protection equipment, curing ovens, process automation, control equipment, integration with the other process stages, among many other factors to consider at the time of getting a system of this category.
LIQUID AND POWDER COATING SPRAY BOOTHS
The objective of any electrostatic coating spray booth is to close a specific area to control the space environmental variables and offer the best conditions to operate the process. The idea is to have a “clean” area away from external contaminants, offering adequate characteristics, such as suitable airflow, particle collection, and excellent lighting levels. These booths are designed for a wide variety of processes, from coating application to washing, sanding, masking or un-masking, spot repair, etc. These booths are available for all the industries and solutions. You can find them combined with air make-up units, industrial dry filters, exhaust chambers and/or air recirculation systems, with the possibility of conveyors or process execution automation, using in-house customized electrical panels and full electronic control. At Dove Equipment, we are specialists in designing processes that include different types of booths and selecting the best for your system. We do an optimal integration with your current system. We look for the best return of investment for you.
CONVECTION, INFRARED, AND UV CURING OVENS
Most industrial processes that bring these finishing or semi-finishing products to life require thermal applications in the production chain. The most common are Polymerization, Drying, Preheating, Thermal treatment, Thermoforming processes, Straining, Stabilization, Curing, Hardening, Vulcanization, Post heating and Maintenance. Several factors could affect the election of an oven, such as the piece geometry and size, the expected performance, the material substratum and the coating properties. They can be used for batch or continuous processes. Dove Equipment works hand in hand with the main powder coating oven international manufacturers, with customized engineering designs, installation and integration of the equipment in the process, as well as programming and starting such equipment. Turnkey projects supported by over 25 years of experience in the sector.
PROTECTIVE COATINGS 1K AND 2K TECHNOLOGY
The 1K or mono-component products are the products dried through solvent evaporation and they have a high proportion of such solvents. They dry quickly. The coating needs to be applied in different layers due to the thickness reduction during the evaporation (drying) of the solvents. These products offer lower hardness than 2K or bicomponent products that dry through a chemical reaction between two components at the time of mixing. Their components are the paint and a hardener (or catalyzer), stored separately and mixed in the right proportion just before applying the product. The differences lie in the 2K product drying, which takes longer than 1K, but the process can accelerate using heat sources, as well as volume loss in the layer with 2K products, which is lower because it evaporates just the thinners that are used for speed adjustment.
Additionally, the molecule recirculation that forms the layer through the polymerization process of both components provides the paint layer with remarkable physical and chemical resistance and a great gloss level in the case of varnishes. 2K coatings have remarkable hardness and resistance against chemical agents and it becomes less fragile when the curing process finishes.
POLYURETHANE AND POLYUREAS APPLICATION SYSTEMS
We use materials with outstanding waterproofing, protection and durability to apply polyurethane and polyurea, as they have great flexibility and elongation capacity. They have endless color possibilities. Their waterproofing and anti-corrosion coating on materials such as steel, concrete, or other types of supports are really good. You can apply these products either heated or cold, depending on the specific characteristics of each material and therefore the equipment for such purpose is required. At Dove Equipment, we design complete systems to apply these products; we control all the process stages with the best equipment for the application, integrating such equipment with all the systems and accessories required throughout the process. We develop turnkey projects.
APPLICATION OF SEALERS, ADHESIVES, GREASE AND HIGH-VISCOSITY MATERIALS
One of the most important factors that have to do with the adhesion of these products is the surface cleanness and the piece adherence profile. This is why it is advisable to first use one of the mechanical or chemical cleaning methods available on our website. These methods are useful to clean grease, dirt, oil, oxide, and scale, among others. High viscosity materials such as sealers or others require application conditions different from liquid coating. Controlling the flow, pressure and temperature is much more critical, as customized programming of the operation conditions, either manually or automatically, is really important. The same happens with industrial lubrication and foam application equipment. At Dove Equipment, we pursue the full integration of processes with our in-house electrical panels and designing of programs to solve the problem satisfactorily, under any conditions.
High-viscosity systems at room temperature
These systems were designed to apply specific materials such as urethanes, whose properties require application at room temperature. These are materials with high viscosity, so pumping equipment, transportation and application elements of the material must be designed specifically for such conditions. Also, programming the parameters required by the process must adjust to the exact way to get the best operation conditions.
WARM MELT & HOT MELT SYSTEMS
Warm Melt & Hot Melt systems consist of high-performance bulk melt designed to apply high viscosity materials such as Butyl rubber, Epoxies, Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), Polyamide, Polyurethane Reactive (PUR), Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), Polyisobutylene (PIB), pre-impregnated resin mixture, among others. Both the melting temperature and accurate control of the process must be a custom design. Dove Equipment, guaranteed by our vast experience in the sector, offers turnkey projects consisting of complete lines for application processes of these products, with in-house designed panels and full integration of all the components that must be installed along with the main equipment.
SYSTEMS TO CONTROL THE TEMPERATURE OF FLUIDS (PAINT, SEALERS, ADHESIVES, INKS, OILS, GREASE, ETC.)
In thermal fluids, the fluid itself is a crucial part that will affect the performance and specifications of the whole system, so it is important to know about the characteristics of each fluid. They can be pressurized and non-pressurized liquid-phase temperature control systems. The thermal stability of the fluid is the primary factor to determine the highest operating temperature. These parameters, among others, must be known in detail at the time of designing a process with these characteristics. At Dove Equipment, after many years in the industry, we have specialized in the development of such processes, offering turn-key projects, design, integration, installation and process start-up.
GANTRY-TYPE APPLICATION SYSTEMS OR AUTOMATED SYSTEMS
Nowadays, specialized robotics in industrial sectors have become an indispensable element for most manufacturing processes. The multifunctional nature of these elements allows to complete endless tasks. Additionally, these kinds of equipment offer upload and transfer speed, control capacity, quality consistency and other functionalities of the processes with outstanding operation performance. This is why, at Dove Equipment, we have developed the knowledge and experience to automate any of our cleaning or finishing processes, designing the full integration of these elements along with the process required by our customers.
