Letter 5033

Truck frame painting

We are looking out for a cost effective coating process for replacing the existing AED process for truck frames ( max frame size -12 m long , cap- 100,000 frames / annum). Autophoretic process is being considered as a likely replacement. Could any body help us with the following info :

a)details of autophoretic installations processing truck frames and the experience with respect to cost & quality.

b)Maximum size of frames being processed

c) Any other alternative process for frame painting being processed with autophoretic critical issues to be considered while opting for the above.

subhas mallik
telco - Pune, Maharashtra, India

We have lot of experience in engineering coating plants for large structures (up to 24 m) a.o. truck frames. Processes used are:

Pretreatment: blasting, Fe or Zn phosphate, electrodip paint, autophoretic coating.

Coatings: liquid as well as powder. Largest automotive parts presently coated with ACC I know of is Landrover plant in Turkey. Parts up to approx. 6 m in length. In our region actually several plants are coating truck frames. Capacity up to 25 pcs/shift.
Best regards

Remmelt Bosklopper
- Enschede, The Netherlands

The autophoretic process is special process marketed by a major chemical company. The equipment for the autophoretic at process can be manufactured by companies approved by the chemical company. Electrocoating is another means of coating truck and auto frames. In the USA the method used by most of the frame manufacturing companies is electrocoat. The equipment for this process can be manufactured by many companies.

In some speciality shops the preferred method of painting truck and car frames is powder coating. Equipment for powder coating is also available from many companies. I can not provide more process details in this forum.

Tyrone L. Caley
- Jefferson City, Missouri

WE OFFER SUITABLE PHOSPHATING SYSTEM CHEMICALS, AND A FINAL DRY-FILM RUST PREVENTIVE COATING. WE INVITE YOU TO WRITE, PHONE, OR FAX TO US FOR MORE INFORMATION. REGARDS. HAPPY, CORROSION-FREE NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

S. M. SUBRAMANIAM
Guardian Anti-Corrosives Private Ltd.

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

March 4, 2009

Commercial aspects:

I'm sure that ACC866 meets the automotive industry Quality performance on other hand it reduces the total coating cost .
you can simply contact Henkel to receive cost comparison
Technically
frame coating process is divided into pre cleaning which depends up on the surface condition the ACC Coating, rinse then reaction rinse and curing the process could be summarized as follows
1- spray rinse ( if the surface is highly rusted )
2- Dip Alkaline Cleaning
3- tap water rinse
4- Pickling ( if the surface required )
5- Tap Rinse
6- Neutralization ( in case you are using Acid Pickling )
7- Tap Rinse
8- Spray Rinse
9- D.I Rinse
10- ACC Coating
11- Tap Rinse
12- Reaction Rinse
13- Oven ( Curing )
kindly note that the surface condition strongly affect on the Stage Numbers
where if your work package contain corrosion Fe+++ you will need to Acid pickling which in turn will require a rinsing and neutralization then Rinse again .
where as if your surface needn't Pickling you are going to reduce 4 Stage

on other hand you may upgrade your current plant to use ACC

Khaled El-Deep
coating service - Cairo, Egypt