Case Studies

Manufacturing

Case Studies:

Dry-In-Place pretreatment decreases the number of stages while increasing part performance

Opportunity

A manufacturer of axles was facing a competitive threat from other manufacturers due to their paint quality. To address this competitive pressure, the customer began to investigate upgrades to their paint system for their different manufacturing locations. They decided to go with an Inline Recirculating Spray washer and a Powder Paint System. They initially began working with a competitor, but after several attempts to qualify their program, salt spray performance could not be attained. The customer’s purchasing reached out to DuBois to learn more about our programs. Our sales team met with the customer to present our chemical offerings along with the technical support provided to our customers. This raised interest for the customer, especially with DuBois’ Lab Accreditation and the support we were willing to offer, since this was a new area that they were venturing into. They agreed to allow DuBois to begin testing our programs to validate our performance.

The DuBois Solution

The DuBois lab evaluated a 3 Stage System using two different powders for salt spray performance. Our 3 Stage program, utilizing the GF Clean 465 and Duralink 450, was chosen since this allowed the customer to purchase a 3 Stage Washer, reducing washer costs. Our technical sales reps were brought on site to help with the start up and support of this system. This washer has been charged and brought on line to start preparing their axles for powder paint. The program is providing clean, water-break-free axles with a nice, blue coating. Slight modifications to the washer continue to be made and will be transferred to the design of the washer for the customer’s next manufacturing site.

Results and Benefits

• A 3-Stage Zirconium program provides the cleanliness and salt spray desired
• Simplified Process
• Reduced floor space and cost to build a 3-Stage Washer
• Coordinated efforts with the sales force, DuBois Lab and Technical Advisors helped with the design of the washer, training of personnel and system start up to make this a successful program for the customer