Consulting-Specifying Engineer - August 2007 - (Page A6)

INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING E N E RGY SOLUTION S CE NTE R Techniques Improve for Powder Coating MDF AT A GLANCE ❯ Beneﬁts of powder paint now available for MDF engineered wood products. Vulcan and a partner developed an infrared catalytic process that has been successfully used for MDF coating in Europe and is now being introduced in North America. Chapman says, “A growing acceptance of this infrared powder paint process offers very cost competitive alternatives to the established processes of liquid coating and vinyl (PVC) wrapping. The process is now attracting attention among point-of-purchase display manufacturers and kitchen cabinet door producers in North America.” tough new environmental requirements of the Kyoto Accords, forcing solventbased wood and MDF ﬁnishers to look for alternatives to bring their processes into compliance. Powder coating using catalytic infrared technology has been adopted by seven major European companies producing MDF components ranging from kitchen cabinet doors, point of purchase displays, and ofﬁce furniture. Planning for this potential use of powder coatings started some three years ago with a collaboration of a leading powder producer and Vulcan Catalytic Systems. The new manufacturing approach is centered on the catalytic infrared technology that is matched to powder formulations with “low bake” curing characteristics. ❯ New technique uses low-temp gas infrared for application, highertemp gas for curing operation than wraps or sprays ❯ Results in even coating, low cost PROGRESS OF POWDER COATING MDF This new infrared curing process ﬁrst achieved commercialization in Europe. The wood industry had fallen under the R ecent years have seen growing interest in using powder paint techniques on medium density ﬁberboard (MDF). According to Michael Chapman, president of both Vulcan Catalytic Systems, Ltd. and MDF Powder Coat Systems, the idea of powder-coating MDF was ﬁrst promoted in the United States in 2002, using gas convection ovens. That process required 30 minutes of heating to complete the powder coating process and up to 60 minutes of cool-down. Chapman notes, “This had the disadvantages of long production lines, expensive plant equipment, and inconsistent part quality.” The MDF industry needed a new approach. Using specially designed gas catalytic infrared ovens, such a new approach has started to unlock the large potential for powder coatings on The Catalytic Reaction The Vulcan catalytic heater is a diffusion type heater that operates on a chemical oxidation reduction process that reduces the gas fuel in the presence of platinum and oxygen into moisture, carbon dioxide, and infrared energy from the reaction. There is no forced air or oxygen supplied for the chemical reaction. Air required for the reaction is diffused through the heater surface and into the reaction sites at the platinum/gas interface. The catalytic reaction requires that the catalyst be at a temperature of 300°F. This is achieved from an electrical preheat element that is activated for 15 minutes. The gas enters the heater panel and is evenly dispersed through a plenum chamber within the heater. The gas is then distributed into the hot catalyst where it reacts with the platinum in the presence of air. The surface temperatures will be as high as 950°F for high ﬁre, down to 400°F at low ﬁre. No ﬂame results from the reaction, and as such, these heaters are approvable for heating hazardous areas. If products such as acetone, MEK, toluene, octane, and naphtha are sprayed onto the heater surface there is no combustion of the solvents. Catalytic heaters produce heat that is distributed over a wide range of wave lengths. Most signiﬁcantly, catalytic heaters produce heat in the longer wavelength zone that is most desirable in heating organic material. A6

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - August 2007

Contents M/E Roundtable Giants 100 Pullout Poster Giants Stand Tall: CSE Giants 100 Report Electrical Design for Tall Buildings HVAC and Fire Safety for Elevator Systems How to Beat the Codes GAS Technology Supplement Recovering Waste Heat from Boilers New Applications for Tankless Water Heating Systmes Techniques Improve for Powder Coating MDF New Tools Available for Heat Treating Steel Direct Drive Engines

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - August 2007

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