Luxembourg-based company CTI Systems modernized the existing coating system of Austrian commercial vehicle and agricultural machinery manufacturer Hans Brantner & Sohn to include cathodic dip coating and powder coating.
Hans Brantner & Sohn Fahrzeugbaugesellschaft m.b.H. emerged in the 1950s from a forge that specialized in the construction of mechanical and later hydraulic tippers for agriculture. This has developed into not only one of the largest agricultural tipper manufacturers in Europe, but also a major producer of commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery with around 300 employees and a wide range of products for agricultural technology.
A key component of the production chain is the surface treatment of large components such as vehicle frames and superstructures. In 2008, Brantner had a coating plant with a series of large-volume tanks built for the various work steps from pre-treatment to final drying. Parts up to 16 meters long and 2.60 meters wide can be coated in these tanks.
Plant brought up to the state of the art
Dipping from the cathodic dip coating tankUntil2020, the system was used for dip and spray coating. After an autophoretic primer, a manually applied wet paint coating was applied to the parts to be painted. As this method was no longer state of the art, Brantner had already been considering converting the system to cathodic dip painting (CDP) and powder coating for several years.
"Today, coating with cathodic dip coating and powder coating is the best possible technology in terms of corrosion protection, environmental compatibility and cost efficiency in the field of vehicle construction," states Serge Heinen, project manager at CTI Systems, the contractor in charge of the conversion of the coating system. He should know, as CTI has already implemented almost a dozen such systems in trailer and agricultural machinery construction and for contract coaters over the past 15 years. At that time, the Luxembourg-based company had also built the system to be converted at Brantner.
Optimized utilization capacity and energy efficiency
It therefore made sense to commission CTI with the new design, especially as Brantner had been very satisfied with the functionality of the fully automated coating system for many years. CTI took over the entire planning and implementation and manufactured the necessary conveyor technology. As the new processes require additional treatment steps, the Luxembourg-based company specified, supplemented and integrated further components and system parts. The CTI software department took over the higher-level control of the coating system.
When planning the conversion, care was taken to retain as many existing components as possible. This meant that only two tanks (zinc phosphating and cathodic dip coating) had to be rebuilt. All other tanks in the existing line were simply adapted so that they could also be used in the new process. The trough furnaces, which previously had to be loaded from above, were replaced by energy-efficient chamber furnaces that are loaded from the front. These are now located in an open area next to the production hall. The new automated powder booth is located parallel to the two existing wet paint booths.
Powder coatingAsadditional project partners, Galatek was commissioned to manufacture the ovens and Gema to build the powder booth. The specifications were supplied by CTI, which in turn carried out the automation of these components. After nine months of meticulous planning and preparation, the conversion was finally successfully completed in the second half of 2020.
The new environmentally friendly process technology represents another milestone for Brantner and enables the vehicle manufacturer to further increase the quality of its products and thus strengthen its market position. The new design optimizes the use of space and will also allow paint shop capacity to be expanded by a further 70 percent at a later date, which will help to secure the plant's long-term future.
The environmental and energy balance is also positive. The conversion reduces solvent emissions to zero and the small additional expenditure on energy is neutralized by the company's own photovoltaic system.
CTI is happy with the completed order for a satisfied existing customer. "The conversion at Brantner challenged us both technically and - due to the tight schedule - organizationally," reports Serge Heinen and adds: "We are proud that we were able to meet this challenge and that Brantner was able to start production with the desired quality as planned."
The client's Managing Director, Hans Brantner, is also more than satisfied with the process and result of the conversion: "The collaboration with CTI Systems was outstanding," he says, giving his project partner the highest praise.
He was particularly impressed by the preparatory work during ongoing operations and the expert execution of the conversion work during the three-week shutdown, which is why he recommends the system manufacturer CTI without reservation.
INFO
CTI Systems S.à r.l. develops and produces high-performance systems in the fields of intralogistics, aircraft maintenance and surface treatment. CTI has particular expertise in the automated handling and storage of bulky materials or heavy loads. The company, based in Lentzweiler, Luxembourg, designs, develops and supplies customized, high-quality solutions to increase efficiency and productivity. This includes software programming in particular.
The company was founded in 1962 as Cleveland Tramrail International (C.T.I.). In 2009, CTI Systems was acquired by the Paul Wurth Group, also based in Luxembourg. This in turn has been part of the SMS Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf, since 2021.
www.ctis ystems.com
