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ACE Coatings: Painted red
Horsch Maschinen GmbH is increasing its production capacity in Brazil with a new ‘Jumbo-Coat’ paint shop at its Curitiba site. The modular plant from Meeh enables flexible processes for powder and wet painting.
One in ten single-seed drills on Brazilian fields comes from Horsch – and bears the distinctive red colour of German production. In order to meet the growing demand, the family-owned company from Schwandorf has significantly expanded its production facilities in Curitiba, Paraná. At the heart of the new infrastructure is a modular powder coating system supplied by Meeh, which processes up to 65 tonnes of steel per week.
Modular design with future potential
The new ‘Jumbo-Coat’ system is designed for high flexibility and can be expanded as required. It currently comprises five process cabins and a spacious loading station, connected via crossbars and two electric traverse platforms with integrated lifting and lowering stations. Workpieces up to 12 x 3 x 3 m in size and weighing up to three tonnes can be coated.
Wet and powder coatings
The plant allows both powder and wet coating – all machine parts can be processed regardless of geometry or material. A blasting and washing cabin are available for pre-treatment, while the painting area features a powder cabin for the characteristic Horsch red and a wet painting cabin for grey components. Efficient recovery systems ensure that excess powder is reused, completely eliminating the need for colour changes.
Focus on efficiency and sustainability
Meeh has designed the plant for sustainable operation: washing takes place in a closed-loop system with cascaded baths and a vacuum evaporator, which significantly reduces the amount of fresh water required. Two indirectly gas-fired ovens enable parallel drying of the workpieces. Each crossbeam is given an individual drying time depending on its load – an acoustic and visual signal indicates when the process is complete.
Large scale coating ergonomicaly
The system is also ergonomically designed for large-format components: lifting platforms can be moved independently of each other, while automated swivel devices simplify the handling of tanks weighing up to three tonnes.
Horsch has also provided space reserves for future expansion. The cross platforms are to be automated and a second powder cabin added before the end of this year – a further step towards series production ‘Made in Brazil’.
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