Application:
Paint protection labels for cathodic dip coating processes
The user
is a leading European manufacturer of axles and pneumatic shock absorption units for trailers and articulated trucks. Customer-specific products are made at the manufacturing facilities in Germany.
Initial situation
The previously-used riveted type plates out of stainless sheet steel were already superseded in 1999 by self-adhesive foil labels from ELTEX’s TOP PROTECT range.
In 2004 wet painting operations were replaced by more economic and environmentally-friendly cathodic dip coating processes. This made it necessary to modify the axle type plates since in comparison to wet paint operations where temperatures of 80° Celsius are reached, temperatures of up to 220° Celsius prevail in cathodic dip coating processes.
Solution from ELTEX
The most economic solution was effected with a heat-resistant, durable material structure that was specially developed by ELTEX for cathodic dip coating processes and then implemented in a TOP PROTECT 3 in 1 paint protection label.
In the case of the sophisticated ELTEX TOP PROTECT 3 in 1 system, printable foil labels and transparent surface protection are placed next to each other on the carrier. The transparent and exactly-fitting laminate section is simply folded on to the foil label and pressed on after being individually printed in a thermal transfer print process. The print image is protected permanently against external influences.
Additionally, the labels are equipped with a paint protection. In this respect a separable adhesive bonds the transparent paint protection with the imprinted and permanently laminated foil label. The surface of the paint protection reacts in a rejecting way to the cathodic dip coating so that no paint remains on the label and the data remain quite legible. Nevertheless, the surface-protected type plate is perfectly sealed at the edges by the coating and is thus protected against any corrosion.
Some end customers coat the axles subsequently in wet painting operations, something which covers up the type plate data. Now, the paint protection section is simply detached using the practical handy taps. The type plates are visible once again.
The main benefits:
- Perfect adhesion on structured axle tubes
- Absolute protection of the print image against weathering, salt, stone chip and aggressive media
- Tried and tested, lifetime durability in all climatic zones
- Heat-resistant to 220° Celsius for cathodic dip coat operations
- Unmistakeable traceability of the axles through the barcode
- Additional coating protection for subsequent coating operations at customer
- Robust industrial printers ensure process reliability in manufacturing g
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Additional advantage
The type plates are printed on the respective production lines and immediately attached to the axles. The robust, industrial thermal transfer printers from ELTEX are convincing on account of the fact that they function perfectly even in multi-shift operations.
Type plate data are transmitted to the high-performance thermal transfer printers via SAP.
Stabile system cabinets ensure a secure setting-up of the thermal transfer printers. They are equipped with an electric, advance-unrolling system for large-sized reels thus minimising the number of reel change operations. |
