Topics surface technology

There is no training for the areas of industrial parts cleaning and technical cleanliness, nor is the subject present in technical courses of study. This must change on a broad front. A qualification course in Berlin is now making a start.

The diverse programme of presentations at this year's QIB Industrial Coating Practical Forum covered important trend topics in the industry. It ranged from retrospectives on inline coating thickness control to practical experience with heat supply via wood chips and superheated steam. 230 participants came together in Wetzlar.

A contract coater is going its own, digitised way and is also demonstrating a coherent concept for the future of sophisticated hand electroplated coatings in times of digitisation at its new location, which will be opening shortly.

Skiing has gained a firm foothold as a winter pastime. But for the boards to glide optimally through the snow, a lot of know-how is needed in terms of surfaces and tribology.

A young start-up set out two years ago to develop a comprehensive AI-based optimisation tool for powder coating plants. Since the beginning of 2023, the first stage has been the optimisation of conveyor speed and gun stroke. But the optimisation solution for all system parameters has already proven its capabilities for flat parts.

Pre-treatment of the steel surface is not only crucial before galvanising, but also before further refinement to a duplex-coated product. Processes such as sweep blasting or the combination of alkaline degreasing and pickling removal are used here.

Shot peening is a special process with free-flying tools. The work of the blasting balls on the surface can therefore not be controlled as easily as in a machine tool. Accordingly, the digitalisation of process and quality parameters for the requirements of Industry 4.0 is difficult.

Glück GmbH from Engen is a pioneer in aluminium bridge construction. The bridges are supplied with a sophisticated anti-graffiti protective finish using the wet paint process. This enables the company to meet the high demand for a durable and economical solution in the coating process as well.

In addition to the classic and proven topics, this year's event offered more than 80 highly interesting presentations ranging from the Energy Forum to recycling and circularity to the overloading of leaders by the current crisis situations.

Quality inspection is becoming increasingly important in industrial production. Highly complex coating systems and component geometries as well as the required precision of the measurement results and the shortest possible duration of the measurement ensure constant pressure to innovate. This also applies to the electronics industry.