In order to ensure the high quality of its in-house corrosion protection VOSS coat and to meet the increasing demand, VOSS is investing in the expansion of the barrel system. Since 2018, the hydraulic connection expert has invested 2.5 million euros in the electroplating area and has coated well over a billion products with the high-quality corrosion protection since commissioning in 2010.
It goes without saying that hydraulic connection components must be reliably leak-proof. For VOSS Fluid, high-quality protection against changing temperature conditions, sudden pressure peaks and resistance to aggressive media are at least as important. This is why corrosion protection is so important. The result has been VOSS coat for many years. The zinc-nickel coating is a unique selling point of the experts from Wipperfürth. To prevent capacity bottlenecks, VOSS has now invested again in the expansion of the drum system. The company already expanded the rack system in 2018.
The additional investment increases the volume of the plant by almost 50%. The entire plant is built on two floors with a floor area of 2,500m2. The rack and drum system are loaded on the lower floor. This allows the employees to work separately from the area with the sensitive chemical baths, which are located on the upper floor. The parts to be electroplated come from production and are individually placed on the racks by hand in the rack system, sorted according to size and design. Pipe fittings that are less susceptible to damage are placed in the barrel system. Once the racks and drums have been loaded, the product carriers travel to the upper floor to pass through the various electroplating baths. This is where the components receive their VOSS-coat finish. The company's own laboratory ensures the correct process parameters, such as the temperature, pH value and current parameters, as well as the chemical composition of the baths. All process steps are simulated in the company's own test electroplating facility and improvements are tested before going into mass production. As part of salt spray tests in the in-house spray chamber, the coated components are exposed to a salt spray under standardized conditions to prove their corrosion resistance. In order to guarantee optimum processes for every geometry and size, VOSS has defined individual process parameters for each of its 6,600 items. In addition, 100% batch control ensures the quality of each production lot.
Hydraulic components are exposed to many extreme conditions: changing temperatures, sudden pressure peaks, etc. The surface must therefore be optimally coated. For its corrosion protection, VOSS Fluid therefore relies on a zinc-nickel coating that can withstand even the most aggressive media in the long term. The coating thickness is between 6 and 15 μm. The nickel content of the VOSS-coat surface is up to 16%. "With our own electroplating facility, we are able to tailor the process precisely to each component and react flexibly to customer requirements. We have everything under our own control here, and our customers know that they are receiving outstanding quality from a single source," says Frank Müller, Plant Manager at VOSS.
