Powder Coated Tough - Fall/Winter 2007 - (Page 42) CUSTOM COATERS CORNER PSB’s coating system uses 12 automatic guns mounted on oscillators that can also move in and out as needed. The PSB powder line operates at 12 fpm and can run continuously with 15-minute gaps in the line when a color change is required modified over the years, were no longer an efficient way to do business. “It took nearly an hour with three workers to change colors,” recalls Sebastian Reyna, PSB paint line manager. “And with more and more color changes in demand, we knew we had to find a better way to operate.” To significantly reduce color-change time, PSB management staff was tasked to review available options that could maintain production but also sustain growth. Today, two PSB operators change colors in about 15 minutes using a Nordson system. “We evaluated all the equipment we could find,” says Dave Rife, plant manag- er, “looking at capital and operating costs, and other factors like service and support.” “There’s price—and there’s cost,” adds Reyna. “Our company’s been successful because of long-term relationships, so those factors played a major part in our decision making.” At PSB, when they say “long term,” they are serious. Most PSB employees have been around for a while and can attest to those values. At 10 years on the job, Rife is a relative newcomer to the group (although an Ingram relative, he worked his way through the company starting on the line in a restaurant). And Bobby Brown, paint tech, and Bob Kent and Billy Sheets, co-workers on the line, each have been with PSB for 31 years. “There’s a lot of knowledge running this paint shop,” observes Reyna, a 16year rookie. “Where else do you have nearly 120 years of experience in just four guys?” That experience has allowed PSB to fine tune its operation for maximum efficiency and quality. “We dialed the system in so it requires a minimum of manual input,” says Brown. “Nordson’s automation system lets us powder coat with virtually no manual touch-up or reinforcement.” To do this, the system uses 12 automatic guns mounted on oscillators that can also move in and out as needed. Two touch-up stations equipped with manual guns complete the coating system’s capabilities. Because PSB’s customers have a wide range of products, a photo-eye array located before the booth entrance detects the size of parts approaching the booth and calls up a number of preset recipes tailored specifically to those parts. PSB coats commercial lawn equipment for its own PrizeLawn line of equipment, which includes drop and broadcast spreaders, as well as lawn spreaders for a number of other companies. “Lawn spreaders really rely on a great powder coating,” says Rife. “Chemicals are extremely aggressive and any fault in the coating becomes a spot for corrosion almost immediately. This system gives us ‘must-have’ repeatability and consistency for these products,” Rife adds. Along with highly functional powder coatings like turf-care products, PSB coats parts for customers who demand highly cosmetic finishes. “Our biggest accounts, aside from the lawn care industry, are in the transportation and appliance industries,” says Reyna. 42 Powder Coated Tough
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