Investment In Finishing Capabilities Improves Shop Throughput

This fabricator maximizes throughput with a new environmentally friendly powder coating paint system that can process double and triple the volume of parts.

Michael Dougherty, the president and chief executive officer of D&S Manufacturing (Black River Falls, WI), recently announced that factory enhancements to its painting resources have yielded significant time and cost savings and have expanded the company’s utilization of green technologies.

“When investing in our new finishing capabilities, we have successfully demonstrated our commitment to providing the most value for our customers while addressing the comfort and health of our employees,” he stated.

One of the most impressive benefits of the new painting system is that the plant now processes more parts at one time. The recently installed booth has an expansive opening that has enabled the company to double and, in some cases triple, the volume of parts exiting the oven as well as accommodate more sizeable and heavier components.

According to Michael Lien, the plant supervisor, the shop has also integrated a variety of strategies to improve functionality when performing liquid spray painting processes. “We have installed a reclamation system to filter phosphates from the wash water and overspray so that the chemicals can be returned to the initial holding tank for reuse. Water utilized in the rinse stage is also being filtered, rather than chemically treated, before it is released into the city sewer system,” he explained.

Rob Bucek, the production control manager, added that the recently expanded off-line paint booth features an automated drying system: “Previously the operator utilized a costly, compressed air hose to dry components. Now the employee simply programs the drying time into the system and then is free to complete value-added tasks. A downdraft filtration system ensures a significant reduction in VOCs, dust and paint within the environment. The result is improved component quality and a cleaner finishing process.”

The shop has also added powder coating to its finishing capabilities. An environmentally friendly process, powder coating does not require a special air quality system nor does it release VOCs into the air. The new filtration system captures and contains the excess powder, which is then transferred into a container. At the operator’s convenience, the container is placed into the oven and the powder is baked, which transforms it into a neutral brick for safe disposal.

For more than 40 years, ISO 9001:2008-certified D&S Manufacturing has served as a custom manufacturer of exceptional quality large scale components, assemblies and complete weldments for a broad cross section of well-respected corporations that include Caterpillar, Oshkosh Corporation, Parkson, The Trane Company and CNH.

The shop’s extensive capabilities include technologically superior machining, laser, high definition plasma and oxyfuel cutting, as well as manual and robotic welding. These resources are complemented by diverse value-added services ranging from liquid spray painting, powder coating and shot blasting to assembly and testing. www.dsmfg.com