This case study is based on an article published by BESSER LACKIEREN about the modernisation of Palfinger’s paint shop in Córdoba, Argentina. As a global market leader in innovative crane and lifting solutions, Palfinger is working with Mankiewicz Coatings and application technology specialist WIWA to balance globally standardised production processes with local requirements. The project focuses on a robust single-coat coating system designed to simplify the coating process, reduce energy and material consumption, support low VOC emissions and provide reliable corrosion protection - combining process efficiency, sustainability and consistent quality for demanding crane and lifting applications.
Mankiewicz provides coating solutions for Palfinger
As a global company, Palfinger has an extensive international production network and strives to produce in a standardised and uniform manner while also taking local conditions into account. The main aim is to use standardised products and create consistent conditions across the plants’ processes. At the same time, local adaptations are necessary in certain markets, for example due to specific material approvals. Many components are not available worldwide, which means that a single solution can often be difficult to achieve when considering local availability and technical service support.
Palfinger produces cranes and platforms for the South American market. The new paint shop was realised without a general contractor, as Angelika Zeilinger, Senior Surface Technology at Palfinger, reports: “We are a small, effective team of three people here in Austria that takes care of implementing paint shops worldwide. We know our paint shops and requirements very well and therefore plan everything ourselves.”
For the realisation of the project in Argentina, Palfinger was supported by its partners Mankiewicz as the paint manufacturer and WIWA Wilhelm Wagner GmbH as the application technology manufacturer.
Long lasting partnership
WIWA has long been a system supplier for Palfinger in Europe and has now also supplied the application technology for Córdoba. The machine manufacturer was already familiar with Mankiewicz from previous special coating projects. Its paint systems have been in use at various Palfinger sites worldwide for many years. Mankiewicz was particularly attractive as a supplier for the new series coating in Argentina because it offers a single-coat system. Palfinger relies on single-coat systems in many countries, as they are energy-efficient, robust, and flexible to process.
Although an oven is still used, it operates at only 60 °C, with the components remaining inside for one hour. Thanks to the single-coat paint, the components only have to pass through the oven once. This reduces the high energy consumption associated with the sometimes massive components used in the construction of cranes and lifting solutions, helping to ensure an economical process.
Palfinger favours a straightforward painting process. Chemical pre-treatment is also omitted in Argentina. “Poor chemical pre-treatment is worse than no chemical pre-treatment,” explains Zeilinger. All components are blasted beforehand using PantaTec’s blasting-media cleaning additive, which serves to degrease and clean the substrate. In addition, high-solid systems without the need for thinners help ensure low VOC emissions. This approach aims to minimise wastewater output while focusing on both economic and environmental considerations. Single-coat painting forms part of the product range that a system supplier must provide for Palfinger’s production. Depending on the requirements profile, multilayer coating systems are also used, including cathodic dip coating, powder coating, and wet paint. “Cathodic dip coating simply offers too many advantages when it comes to underfilm corrosion,” explains Zeilinger. However, the customer must be willing to pay for these benefits.
High-Solid systems without the need for thinners ensure low VOC emissions.
High-quality single layer coatings
Nevertheless, the quality requirements outside Europe are just as high, and strict standards apply even without dip coating. This applies particularly to corrosion protection, which is always checked on the company’s own material in salt spray tests. This was also a key reason for working with Mankiewicz in Argentina. In addition to saving paint material and energy, the paint manufacturer offers a system that withstands high mechanical stress. This is based on many years of experience: “We have been offering single-coat systems for construction machinery for over twenty years and are constantly improving them,” explains Laura Kahn, Key Account Manager at Mankiewicz.
Durability plays a major role in further development. “Our customers’ specifications represent a minimum standard for us. In the further development of our products, we also focus on efficiency, ease of application, and process reliability. Our customers value these performance indicators,” explains Kahn, adding: “This means we are always on the safe side.”
For the coating to fulfil these promises, it must be applied properly. Modern application equipment from WIWA, designed according to the air-assisted airless principle, is used for this purpose. “We use the same components from WIWA worldwide,” explains Angelika Zeilinger. This means that a colleague from Brazil could theoretically also advise the Palfinger plants in Argentina, as they use practically identical equipment. WIWA’s application technology is also highly suitable for processing high-solid coating systems, explains Zeilinger.
