One of the UK’s largest and highest quality manufacturers of coffins, caskets and components, has just taken delivery of a custom built flash-off and Schubox gas catalytic infrared lacquer curing system.

Each assembled piece is subjected to a high-precision manufacturing process prior to entering the spray shop. The assembled or component pieces are then pre-sanded and cleaned prior to the application of the high solids AC or waterbourne basecoat.

Once sprayed, the product is placed onto custom trolleys and pushed into the enclosed flash-off area. This area is to a zone 1 standard, incorporates low level extraction, filtered air input and 1000 lux skywhite lighting sets. It ensures that solvent vapour is kept enclosed and well away from the operators.

The VOC-laden flash-off air that has been extracted, is pumped into the Schubox for oxidisation with the gas catalytic heating technology.

Once flashed-off and the majority of the initial solvent has vented (around 10 mins), the trolleys are placed inside the Schubox for the curing process. The product stays inside the Schubox for 20 mins at 40c until all the carrier has been evaporated off and the surface coating is cured.

The Schubox is fitted with gas catalytic long wave IR heating panels and cures the wet product in a fraction of the time, with its intrinsically safe technology.

The products are then removed from the Schubox, denibbed, cleaned and returned to the spray booths for the application of high solids AC topcoats. The flash-off and Schubox process is repeated once again until the products are ready for fitting and then despatch.

The new flash-off and Schubox installation has made a huge difference to production speeds, efficiencies and WIP.

The customer emailed to say “I was planning to give you a ring today just to say how well the installation has gone. Once again your engineering staff have done your company proud and my guys have taken to it like a duck to water. Drying and process times have improved more than our expectations, we just need to streamline our other processes now.” Nothing better than praise!

To see how the Schubox can change your spray shop bottleneck, email sales@schuberts.co.uk