For the first time, they encountered powder-firing paints back in 1992, when they needed to paint their own products. From that time on, they participated in the painting process from the position of the customer. Year after year, they attended professional seminars and training on powder coating technologies to always have the latest information.
In 2015, they moved to newly built production premises, which allowed them to realistically think about their own painting line. They turned the vision into reality in 2019, when they launched one of the most modern painting lines in the area – ECOLAK .
ECOLAK is our partner in painting all our products. What can be the differences in the colors that are used in powder coating shops? In the interview, Ing. Milan Martinásek, manager of ECOLAK.
What effect does fine sanding of zinc have on the durability of the painted product?
Mechanical roughening, be it sanding or fine sandblasting, makes a lot of sense for hot-dip galvanized surfaces, it creates an anchoring profile for better paint adhesion, and at the same time, the zinc layer is mechanically hardened and heated, which releases the gases that were created during the galvanizing process, and last but not least the surface will be unified, which will achieve a better aesthetic result during painting.
What brands of paint do you use?
We primarily use Axalta and Tiger powder firing paints, these are renowned European manufacturers, these paints are not among the cheapest, but they meet very strict quality and ecological standards on the market. They have excellent yield and are easy to work with.
What can be the differences in the colors that are used in powder coating shops?
There can be more differences, they must be designed correctly, ie if the paint is intended for interior use, it is inappropriate to use it for exterior, because after a short time UV radiation degrades it and loses its shade, gloss and its useful properties.
There are also several quality classes of polyesters for outdoor use. As a rule for outdoor use, we apply facade polyesters and Qatikot, which currently represent the highest quality and durability of this technology.
What is the difference between classic and corrofix?
The system we call Clasic is the application of powder polyester varnish on a mechanically prepared and properly degreased galvanized surface in the system we call Corrofix, there is a special Zero zinc antigassing reactive primer between the polyester varnish and the galvanized layer.
It is a unique base with patented HDC (High Density Closlinking) technology designed for anchoring to a galvanized surface, degassing during firing and creating a very dense network structure with a strong barrier.
It is a layer that has very good anti-corrosion properties and at the same time allows easier penetration of residual gases that were created during galvanizing through its surface during the firing process.
With such a treated surface, we can expect a service life of lacquered products of more than 15 years in Central European climatic conditions, such as we have in Slovakia.
Can the difference in the quality of the painting be connected to the performance of the furnace?
I certainly often encounter the fact that the performance of the oven is under-dimensioned and when trying to fire the product, when the products are placed in the oven, the products are heated very slowly, when we can see a non-uniform surface and even places where the polymer flows on sharp edges and shape-stitched surfaces.
We have two firing furnaces, each with a power of up to 200KW, which we can connect when firing longer products and fire products up to 7m long. Firing is uniform throughout the entire volume of the furnace, and the surface is perfectly
processed and ready to withstand the outdoor environment for many years.
