Challenge us! This attitude permeates the B.L. Downey Company in Broadview, Illinois. The coating job shop will build or alter any of its processing equipment to accomplish a job. It will custom formulate coatings to meet customers' needs. The company looks for new and different ways to apply and use coatings. This can-do attitude started 40 years ago with Bernard L. Downey, company founder and CEO.
In 1954 Mr. Downey sold plastisol coatings to the finishing industry. In 1956 he opened his own shop to apply plastisols and powder coatings. All powder coating was done in a fluidized bed.
In 1962 Mr. Downey installed electrostatic spray equipment for
powder coating, some of the first in the United States. Mr. Downey is a powder pioneer, but the big powder "push" was not until 1974 when the Alaska Pipeline was going in and bridges and roads were laid with epoxy powder coated rebar in the concrete.
Although the B.L. Downey Company did not participate in the pipeline or bridge projects, it did powder coat some large pieces light poles. In March 1975, Products Finishing ran an article on the two-coat powder coating of light poles at B.L. Downey. The process continues today. However, in 1975 the light poles were 26 ft long and weighed 260 lbs. Today the company is
able to coat poles that are 50 ft long and weigh up to 1,400 lbs.
The company now has two-coat powder coating of poles down to a
science. The poles are manufactured at B.L. Downey Company, Inc. Pole preparation involves shot blasting with steel shot in an eight-wheel horizontal conveyorized Wheelabrator system. Shot blasting removes all contaminants, including heavy rust. Shot-blasted poles must be powder coated within eight hours to prevent rust and recontamination. Most poles are coated within
two hrs. Smaller parts go through a five-stage iron phosphate
pretreatment system.
Depending on their size and weight, poles are loaded singly or three at a time on racks stationed at the first powder coating station. "It is quite a ballet moving these pieces around," remarked Dan Downey, son of the founder
and president. Hoists and lift trucks move the massive, unwieldy poles from shot blasting to the powder line.
Once racked, ambient-temperature poles are manually powder coated with Nordson guns. This ensures that the first three ft of the poles' interior are coated as well. This adds corrosion protection. This first powder coat is one to 1.5 mils thick. The posts then move into the oven where the epoxy fuses and
partially cures for about five min at 500F.
As the poles leave the oven, the paint is not completely cured, and the metal temperature of the poles is approximately 225F. Operators then coat these hot poles with six to eight mils of polyester powder, which melts on the hot surface. The poles then proceed into the second oven, on the same line, where they cure at a metal temperature of 410F for 12 min. The ovens are
20 ft high, five ft wide and 110 ft long.
The double oven line allows for two-coat powder coating. It has also enabled the company to experiment with various colors, combinations and effects. One combination is thermoset clear powder over a colored thermoplastic powder on football face masks manufactured by a major sporting goods company. Another is red powder coating on outdoor furniture followed by a transparent black. "It requires knowledge and a certain fearlessness to attempt custom color matching and experimentation," Dan
Downey admitted.
All parts undergo a series of quality control tests as well. These include tests for strength, durability, uniformity and gloss. Inspections are both visual and computerized. Primary powder suppliers are O'Brien and 3M.
>Growing with electrocoating. Several stamping companies in the area asked B.L. Downey about electrocoating, since automotive manufacturers were specifying it for parts previously plated. The company accepted the challenge. "Electrocoating is seeing a resurgence, particularly in the automotive and appliance industries," noted Bernard Downey. "We wanted to be a part of it. That is why we are dedicated to this new line."
The electrocoating equipment, from Therma-Tron-X, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is a self-contained, automated system.
Loading/unloading, pretreatment, coating and curing are all integral to the equipment. The system was shipped in one piece. While most electrocoating systems are monorail, this system is a random loading, indexing machine. "It is similar to an
automated, random-loading plating line," noted Mr. Downey.
In the system, parts are indexed along a slide rail rather than a traditional chain conveyor. The work envelope is 42 inches high by 62 inches long and 30 inches wide. The Programmable Logic Controller has an interactive operator station to control voltage, mechanical, electrical and fluid diagnostics. It also automatically controls liquid, epoxy, acrylic and chemical formulations. Employees can download the process data for assistance with statistical process control.
The new system will coat parts with either epoxy or acrylic
coatings supplied by PPG. The black epoxy is used mostly for "under-the-hood" type parts. The white acrylic is for parts that will see more outdoor exposure, such as lawn and garden furniture. If required, electrocoated parts can also
be powder coated.
The eight-stage pretreatment cycle within the system includes zinc phosphate and non-chrome seal from Oakite. The company chose zinc phosphate because of automotive specifications.
The electrocoating system has a built-in waste treatment feature. It neutralizes acids and alkalines, precipitates metals from the pickling stage, detackifies paints, clarifies output water and concentrates solids.
The new electrocoating line will further diversify an already
diverse company. Forty years ago the company started with one man and a plan: customer service, knowledgeable sales people, technical capability, experience and a never ending quest for product excellence. Forty years later the plan is still working. The challenge is to do as well during the next
forty years. PF
