A trader-turned-entrepreneur has found a niche in the powder coating sector, which, combined with favorable market opportunities, bodes well for the future. The new plant in Hatvan will guarantee its new customers not only high quality but also flexible services, providing a solution for paint plants facing capacity problems. We report from the plant with a video.
There is always a niche in the market, you just have to find it
The owner started trading in powder coatings in 2014. The years in the industry have proven to be enough for him to immerse in the details of the technologies used and their operating mechanisms. He has gained sufficient knowledge and experience in how to operate and run a powder coating plant. We visited Revaco Hungary‘s powder coating plant. Our article is based on the video report below.
Introducing Revaco Hungary Ltd. In his years as a trader in the sector, he has often encountered painting plants that experienced capacity problems and were often unable to meet the deadlines they had agreed to. These plants have always tried to cooperate with other plants where they can outsource part of the production work in order to deliver on time to customers. There are currently hundreds of plants scattered in different parts of the country. Among these, some production plants welcome the cooperation of additional contract painters. The manager has recognized that there is considerable business potential in the ‘challenges’ of these plants.
Chemical pre-treatment is essential to ensure that the paint adheres well
“With start-ups currently benefiting from favorable economic support, there was no question that this was the way I would put my expertise to good use,” said founder Ákos Révai during our visit. The loan from MFB has proved to be a very favorable construct for starting a business now, but favorable credit terms alone do not guarantee success.
In addition to workmanship, it requires careful strategic planning. For example, the location of the plant was an important step to be taken into consideration. The search started 1-1.5 years ago. The ideal location had to be found outside of Pest County because of the loan conditions. The town of Hatvan proved to be the optimal choice in several aspects. On the one hand, there is no significant painting plant in the area, and on the other hand, from a logistical point of view, it is located near the M3 motorway connecting Budapest and Debrecen , on the border between Pest and Heves counties, so orders can come from both directions.
Flexible service based on individual needs
As a completely new painting plant, the capacity of Revaco Hungary Ltd.’s powder painting plant is not yet fully filled, therefore the first customers who are already in the process of sampling are given special attention. Sampling is in fact step zero before an order is placed and it involves a test painting on the sample under the conditions set by the customer. From a quality assurance point of view, sampling is indispensable: the post-testing phase checks whether adhesion, thickness, environmental resistance or the color appearance are satisfactory.
It varies from customer to customer whether the surface has to meet only decorative criteria or it has to have specific performance, defined by a specific standard.
“In such cases, more emphasis should be placed on surface preparation. During surface preparation, a conversion coating is applied to the surface of the base metal, which improves the adhesion of the paint and increases the lifetime of the painted surface in a given environment,” said Ákos.
The sheet metal parts travel on conveyor tracks above between the powder coating booth and oven At Revaco Hungary Kft, the powder coating, also known as sintering, the process is based on the same principle.Metal parts are first hung up on the conveyor track, from where they are transported to the chemical pretreatment chamber. During the process of pre-treatment, the surface is treated in three phases:
- degreasing and phosphating, both of which remove silicone and oil residues left after metalworking and form a conversion layer, improving adhesion of the paint;
- rinsing with industrial water;
- dionic rinsing, a desalting surface treatment to remove excess residues.
Water droplets left behind after rinsing are dried in the oven during a drying phase at 120 °C, after which the part to be painted continues its way on the conveyor track to the spray booth. In most cases, a single coat is applied here, but some technologies allow a primer coat to be applied underneath the top coat. Coating thickness is determined by the technical data sheet of the paint, but the painting technician monitors the process throughout and builds up the coating thickness optimally.
Once the paint has adhered to the plate, all that remains is to bake it. The time spent in the oven is based on the process time, which is determined by the paint supplier according to the technical parameters provided by the manufacturer. It is usually calculated on the basis of a process parameter of 20 minutes at 180 °C. During polymerization, the heat of the object is taken into account, i.e. the 20 minutes are calculated from the point when the temperature of the object reaches 180 °C. The equipment automatically signals when the time has elapsed, at which point the workpiece is finished and is placed on the resting track. It only needs a few minutes to cool down and is then ready to be packed and transported.
Revaco Hungary Ltd.’s long-term plans
Revaco’s new customers would become long-term partners, the founder hopes
Covid-19 naturally had its effects on this industry too. There are some larger companies whose production has fallen and therefore their capacity problems have stabilized, but this is not true for all industry players. The manager believes in long-term partnerships and would primarily offer flexible contract painting services to companies. Clients and orders could be received from anywhere in the world, thanks to favorable logistics.
Website: www.revaco.hu
Email contact: info@revaco.hu
