June 10, 2021. The paint stripping of defective products is an essential step of a manufacturing process, and being able to carry it out in complete autonomy means bringing important benefits to the production chain. The new Fastrip AP system enables to strip aluminium profiles up to 8 metres long: in about three hours, defective profiles can be stripped, rinsed, and delivered ready to be reprocessed again.
ALIT Technologies, specialised in the chemical paint stripping of aluminium, zinc, and metallic alloys and headquartered in San Bonifacio (Verona, Italy), has developed Fastrip AP, a compact off-line plant that enables small batches of aluminium profiles to be stripped quickly. This technological solution will enable to recover defective profiles without any loss of productivity. Like in-line chemical paint stripping plants devoted to hooks and high-performance, low-environmental impact chemical formulations, the new Fastrip AP system can be integrated into already existing processing lines or installed as a stand-alone system, possibly integrated with other ALIT paint stripping technologies. Fastrip AP is a paint stripping system suitable for all aluminium manufacturers, extruders, converters, or custom coaters, who will thus be able to restore badly painted profiles efficiently, cost-effectively, quickly, and without burdensome logistics.
Technical features of Fastrip AP
The Fastrip AP paint stripping system can accommodate 30 to 70 aluminium profiles up to 8 metres long. In just 3 hours, the material is ready for reprocessing, significantly reducing the time required by the production chain. It is a compact system with two tanks (one for the stripping, one for the static or dynamic rinsing) – with a usable cross-sectional area of 50 cm x 50 cm – and a loading and unloading station. The operator can approach the plant with a wheeled basket containing the material to be stripped, similarly to what is done with immersion pre-treatment plants. The machine automatically hooks up the basket, lifts it, and starts the first cycle in the paint stripping tank, which contains ALIT’s environmentally friendly alkaline paint stripper Metastrip 1333/1. The machine’s handling system allows continuous “swinging” (i.e., a quiet vertical movement of the basket), which increases the performance level of the paint stripping bath. At the end of the cycle, the operator can assess the cleanliness degree and decide whether to continue with the paint stripping process. The system then automatically transfers the basket to the rinsing tank, where the swinging movement continues. Finally, the basket is transferred to the unloading station, which also includes a drip tray.
The paint stripping tank has a variable temperature (between 45° C and 60 °C) and it is equipped with a lid. Its heating system is electric and the heating elements are fixed to the outer wall to prevent contact between the heat source and the liquids, in order to guarantee maximum safety against any risk of fire. The tank is also set up for air suction at low hertz if the lid is closed, but able to increase frequency once it is opened; emissions must then be channelled into a fume abatement system. The tank is ready to connect to a suction system, which can be either already existing at the customer’s factory or supplied separately by ALIT.
ALIT Technologies is currently concluding the latest internal tests of Fastrip AP’s prototype system. After fine-tuning, the system will be made available to customers, who can see and evaluate it in-person at the San Bonifacio site.