Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine Jan/Feb 2023 - 45

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: CASE STUDY
PUMPING
PRODUCTIVITY
Problem: High volume production
and the safety of personnel
Solution: Reliable, leak-free
pumping technology
BY ROBERT JACK
A
house needs many things: floors, windows, doors,
appliances, furniture, decor, and a strong foundation
with walls that provide the people inside with
security and warmth. But a house only becomes a
home once the people living inside have chosen the perfect paint
colours. Since 1925, as Phoenix, Ariz.'s largest manufacturer of
architectural paints and coatings, Dunn-Edwards has provided
people with every paint colour imaginable for every part of their
home.
The Dunn-Edwards' state-of-the-art, eco-efficient
production and distribution facility manufactures more than 15
million gallons of paint annually. By transporting and mixing in
excess of 150 unique ingredients, including resins and additives,
the Dunn-Edwards facility upholds its high industry standards
for reliable and environmentally conscious paint formulation
and production.
The Problem With Paint Production
Producing these high-quality paints and coatings requires
efficient and safe equipment that can handle abrasive fluids in a
shear-sensitive manner. To ensure the safety of plant personnel
and the efficiency of the operation, these critical applications
require pumping technology that is leak-free and reliable. This
is especially true when latex-a complex emulsion consisting of
polymer microparticles contained in an aqueous medium-is
involved.
Latex is created in a process called " emulsion polymerisation, "
where droplets of simple emulsion are added to water. Additives
are injected into the latex to provide important characteristics,
such as colour, reflectivity and anti-bacterial qualities. Many of
these additives, such as titanium dioxide (TiO® ), are extremely
abrasive and cause elastomer wear that leads to regular and
extensive pump maintenance, increasing downtime and affecting
operational performance.
Introducing Chem-Fuse
Through Steve Chapin, the maintenance manager of DunnEdwards
paint facility, Wilden was able to assess the installation
and recommend its Chem-Fuse Integral Piston Diaphragms
(IPDs). As a performance comparison, Chapin outfitted a few
three-inch pumps with Chem-Fuse IPDs and corresponding
shafts and inner pistons.
To ensure the company's reliability and environmentalsensibility
requirements, Dunn Edwards chose the Wilden airoperated
double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps, which reportedly
excel when handling paint components due to a unique design
that offers the highest degree of flexibility and performance in
terms of reliability, product-loss prevention, environmental
protection and energy efficiency. In addition, Wilden says its
AODD pumps are easy to maintain, self-priming, dry-run capable,
and deliver a shear-sensitive operation that is mandatory when
working with these ingredients.
Back in 2020, Phoenix Pumps, Phoenix, Ariz., a long-time
distributor for Wilden, offered Dunn-Edwards an opportunity to
explore operational cost savings by assessing alternative AODD
pump diaphragm options. Dunn-Edwards was using Wilden's
EZ-Install diaphragms, which offer great benefits in terms of
chemical compatibility as well as safe and easy installation.
However, due to the aggressive nature of latex, these diaphragms
were still being replaced every six to eight months.
January/February 2023
45
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine Jan/Feb 2023

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