Water-thinnable single-layer system featuring high flexibility

Water-borne baking coating in the functional furniture industry

 

Steel furniture, e.g. for the office sector, is often coated using powder, liquid or electrodeposition coatings. In many applications, these coating techniques are combined, which makes it necessary for systems to conform with one another in terms of gloss level, surface and colour shade.

When opting for liquid coatings, solvent-based baking systems are often used. Based on the requirements placed on these, FreiLacke’s fundamental idea was to develop a corresponding water-borne baking system. The system coating concept, high aesthetic and surface requirements and application under series production conditions were the key tasks surrounding the development of a modern baking system that would also meet environmental standards. FreiLacke was able to attract project partners in the steel furniture industry for the development of a corresponding baking coating system. Below you will find an example describing how one German steel furniture manufacturer successfully switched to the new system.

The task

Together with Mauser Einrichtungssysteme GmbH & Co. KG from Korbach, part of the Vauth-Sagel Group, FreiLacke was confronted with the challenge of finding an alternative solution for the hitherto used solvent-based coating.

The following key features were agreed:

  • VOC-Reduzierung um 70 Prozent.
  • Hervorragende Übereinstimmung mit der eingesetzten Elektrotauchlackierung.
  • Deutliche Erhöhung der Flexibilität bei Sonderfarbtönen.

Characteristics

The FREIOTHERM hydro gloss coating WO1890H system series was specially developed for the steel furniture industry and fulfils all current requirements in the furniture and office equipment sector. DIN 68861 was a key variable when drawing up the requirements specification here. All mechanical and chemical requirements such as

  • scratch resistance
  • chemical resistance
  • resistance to abrasive wear

were met.

Optimisation of the VOC balance

One of the aims behind the introduction was to significantly optimise the VOC balance. A reduction of VOC content totalling more than 75 percent was achieved with the introduction of the FREIOTHERM hydro gloss coating WO1890H series.

Colour shade variety for the smallest of batches

Thanks to the continual development of the WO1890H system series, the WO1860H system series came into being to meet the need for high flexibility with regard to custom colour shades This mixing system enables RAL, NCS and custom colour shades to be produced fully automatically, directly on site and in small quantities while maintaining the same product quality. This achieves significant optimisation in the range of colour tones for very small batches.

System coating solutions: Two coating processes = one result

A further outstanding characteristic is the consistency of the liquid coating surfaces with the electrodeposition coating process at Mauser. FreiLacke’s system coating expertise formed an appropriate base for this.

The results at Mauser, which uses a state-of-the-art wet-coating process with coating robots, are surfaces that meet the highest standards in the field of steel furniture coating. In combination with surfaces from the electrodeposition coating process, the end product is high-quality furniture with a uniform appearance in terms of colour, gloss and surface.

In another steel furniture application, the WO1890H water-borne single-coat system is combined with electrodeposition coatings and powder coatings with the same tremendous result. So you can even get the same result with three different coating processes.

Summary

The introduction of one-coat system WO1890 demonstrates how FreiLacke has successfully provided the steel furniture industry with an extremely efficient water-borne coating solution: a coating characterised in particular by high surface quality and excellent system compatibility with powder and electrodeposition coatings.