East Texas Trailers coats big. Really big. They manufacture over 75 different types of trailers, from utility and dump trailers to tilt decks, livestock, and pipe trailers, with hundreds of options.
They powder coat these steel trailers ranging from 8ft to 44ft in size. When the decision to move from liquid to powder coating for performance and environmental reasons was made, the East Texas Trailers team conducted extensive research. They needed the most efficient and effective way to get these huge steel parts coated quickly and deliver a beautiful, flawless finish. They also wanted the best technology with excellent ROI.
John Peters of East Texas Trailers, explains, “We build steel trailers, with 75 different trailer models available. We powder coat main frames and all the miscellaneous parts the trailers need, like ramps and fenders. The more we looked into the curing options available to us, the more we realized that using gas catalytic IR oven technology as a pre-gel oven (used to quickly gel the powder before the full powder cure) was a real contender, with some major advantages.”
GCIR (Gas Catalytic IR) ovens are a flame-less technology that heat only the surface of the part, rather than the entire component, bringing the powder to required temperature quickly and efficiently. In this case, its primary function is to facilitate the gelling process of newly applied powder coatings by applying heat that initiates the chemical change within the coating. The IR heat softens the powder, allowing it to flow and adhere better to the surface, resulting in a smoother more uniform finish and reduces the overall curing time. As there is less airflow in the pre gel oven, the powder is not blown off. This enables shorter gaps in production when doing color changes. The reduced curing time also allows manufacturers to increase throughput and improve process efficiency.
After extensive research and in-depth discussions with the WolfRayet team, East Texas Trailers chose to implement Gas Catalytic IR ovens from WolfRayet.
Peters continues, “The WolfRayet team explained the many advantages the Galaxy System could bring to our business. One of the major deciding factors was that the GCIR prevented us from having to overbuild our facility just to accommodate the traditional oven system, so construction costs were lower. Another huge advantage was the new WolfRayet oven helps us cure multiple colors at once without suffering from cross contamination and colors mixing in the oven. With 20 different stock colors offered, plus custom color matching, that’s a huge advantage in terms of throughput.”
The Galaxy systems allow manufacturers to achieve a smaller operational footprint and often deliver cost savings in the form of increased throughput, better quality and reduced energy costs. The sustainability advantages, including lower temperatures, less energy consumption and no NOx are a bonus.
As another beautifully coated trailer comes off the finishing line, Peters notes:
“The support received from the WolfRayet team was excellent, installation was easy, and the system is very user friendly – a quick and simple process. We’ve already noticed an increase in output with reduced operating costs. It’s a definite win.”