Painting Steel Tubes

Q. I am representing a company selling mainly fire protection equipment in Finland and Russia. The manufacturer’s existing paint line can’t keep up with the increased demand. To increase production, he wants to paint his products automatically on a conveyorized line. Could you please help me to find painting equipment for steel tubes used in sprinkler systems. The length of the pipes is always 20 ft. They are two inches and 10 inches in diameter. The paint is a water based type. Is there any equipment including the material feeding, painting, drying and output automation available? If so where can I find it? A.H.

A. Yes, there is automatic conveyorized equipment available for painting pipes 20 ft long. The last time I saw this done was on a coating line for pipes used as electrical conduit. The pipes were coated and conveyed vertically. I suggest you start with equipment suppliers. The ones listed on pages 281 to 285 of the PRODUCTS FINISHING 2006 DIRECTORY AND TECHNOLOGY GUIDE (www.pfonline.com/suppliers.html) are located in North America. Some of the listed suppliers have foreign affiliates who can help you.