Coated products and adhesives

Technological solutions can achieve both new organic and hot dip coated products, as well as hybrid panels obtained by means of top adhesive technologies.

The most common classes of organic coatings include:

• Liquid paints (solvent/solvent less, one/two components, room/high temperature curable)
• Powder thermosetting paints and thermoplastic powder polymers
• Extruded polymer films

Such coatings can be applied by means of various techniques depending on the nature of the coating, the dimension and characteristic of the components to be coated and productivity constraints.

Moreover, RINA deals with the use of adhesives in the following sectors:

• Evaluation of the junction’s lifetime under multiple environmental and mechanical stresses
• Development of fast assembly cycles
• Process development of multi-layered composite panels (structural, vibration damping, etc.).

Focus on labs & facilities

Hot dip coating pilot units

These lines enable us to produce hot dip coated samples and to design and simulate industrial continuous and batch coating cycles.

Surface treating and painting lab equipments

• Multi-batch degreasing
• Phosphating unit
• Bar, dip and spray painting units for liquid and powder paint
• Electropainting unit (ED painting)
• Fast IR and induction heating curing unit
• UV curing unit
• Programmable oven units

Spray cleaning unit pilot line

This unit works within the 50-70 °C temperature interval and simulates the degreasing-rinsing-drying work cycle, thus enabling the development of an optimal cleaning cycle for a given painting process and the evaluation of the efficiency of cleaners.

Roll painting unit pilot line

This unit has been developed in order to simulate treatments and typical coating processes of the sheet/coil coating industry.

Hot rolls calander unit pilot line

The facility, which contemplates an IR tunnel and a hot pressing rolls section with working temperature up to 200 °C, is devoted to study sheets’ adhesive bonding processes and to define the whole fabrication cycle of sandwich panels.

Other pilot lines

Equipment for plastic film treatment and application are also available (corona discharge, film laminator, etc.). All the above mentioned pilot plant units can manage up to 1200x1800 mm sheets, with thickness between 0.3 and 1.5 mm.

Coated products’ characterisation lab

This lab is endowed with equipment for standard characterization and special tests for specific coated applications for domestic appliances, the automotive industry, architecture projects, etc.

It is also equipped to measure the bond strength and durability of adhesive joints and of the damping and vibrational parameters of hybrid composite panels.

Deliverables

We are mainly active in the following sectors:

• Surface pre-treatments with special focus on cleaning, surface conversion and mechanical finishing technologies
• Hot dip coatings, Zn- and Al-based (e.g. Zn, Zn-30Al-Mg, Zn-Ni, Zn-Fe, Al-Si)
• Organic coatings for general painting, electrophoretic coatings and coil coatings
• Polymeric materials, used to produce adhesives, sealants and metal-plastic multi-layered hybrid composites

We can provide materials’ producers, manufacturers and end-users with the following services:

• Development/selection of surface treatments/coatings
• Product surface design
• Coatings’ characterization and component testing
• Component and process optimization
• Process simulation and control
• Personnel training
• Failure analysis

This offer is also integrated with our capability to qualify coated products along each phase of the whole manufacturing cycle.

Why RINA?

Thanks to a complete set of laboratory equipment and pilot plants, we are able to respond to every need related to coated products and adhesives, ranging from product qualification and failure analysis to the development of and support to the industrialization of new products.