Central extraction system for powder coating

Customer:	Alucolor
Extracted material:	Powder coatings
Industry:	Surface technology
Vacuum cleaner:	DS 1400 B1-C as central extraction system with pre-separator silo

As an industrial service provider, lucolor Oberflächenveredlung GmbH & Co. KG in Chemnitz focuses on powder coating of large aluminium parts. It offers an almost unlimited spectrum of colours in different gloss levels, textures, and metallic looks.

Problem

As large components are often coated in small batches, frequent colour changes are necessary in the coating lines. On economic grounds, it is helpful to be able to recover the individual paint colours separately when the colour change equipment is cleaned.

Solution

The vacuum system that Ruwac developed for Alucolor based on its modular system meets this specification exactly. A ducting system with multiple connection points for suction hoses was installed in the warehouse where the powder coating booths are located. As soon as a member of staff connects a suction hose to the ducting system, a fixed Ruwac DS 1400 B1-C industrial vacuum cleaner starts up automatically.

The extracted material is delivered first to a pre-separator silo with a 200 litre capacity, and then to the vacuum cleaner. The silo is installed at around 1.50 meters high, and its outlet pipe long enough to hold exactly the quantity of powder that fits in the disposal sack. There are pipe valves at the top and bottom of the emptying unit. When the operator opens the top valve, the material flows into the tube. Then the top valve is closed and the bottom valve opened, causing the material to drop into the disposal container.

The pre-separator silo and the vacuum are fitted with class C bag filters. A residual dust filter has also been installed to retain even the smallest powder particles. The extraction system fulfils dust explosion protection requirements.