Industrial production is closely related to the efficiency of the machinery, whose performance reflects the company philosophy. New, updated, well-kept and safe machines are the result of internal policies devoted to optimizing every production detail.
However, even the best machines are subject to obsolescence and damage, which can occur at any time for a variety of reasons. Protecting industrial machinery is a key issue for entrepreneurs, because the company’s production efficiency depends on it.
Underestimating this aspect can lead to several knock-on effects, the most serious of which is unplanned machine downtime. To avoid negative, if not serious consequences, the best step is to prevent breakdowns and malfunctions by protecting the machinery.
How to protect industrial machinery
Protecting a machine also means protecting the people who use it. One of the most dreaded hazards in industry concerns sudden voltage discharges, which carry the high risk of damaging machine parts and injuring people. Power surges represent a lethal hazard, an event that every entrepreneur wants to avoid.
Preventive action must therefore be taken directly on the machine to safeguard workers and valuable electromechanical parts.
In general, coatings for electrical insulation provide great resistance to moisture, chemicals and extreme temperatures, thus protecting machines from any type of external risk.
Impreglon offers solutions in the form of patented coatings — MagnaCoat® (for thermal insulation, impermeability and elevated protection from chemical aggressors) and TempCoat® (makes the surface non-stick and provides electrical insulation or electrical conductivity to meet ATEX regulations in terms of static electricity).
Suitable coatings protect machines and reduce maintenance costs
All machines are subject to wear and tear due to various factors depending on the sector in which they operate. Using suitable surface coatings makes components last longer, reducing maintenance interventions (and therefore costs) and favouring long-lasting, continuous productivity, thus limiting machine downtime to scheduled periods.
In production processes, machines come into contact with chemical agents, heavy materials and other potentially harmful elements, sometimes in extreme environments, as in the food, packaging, plastic or rubber moulding sectors, or in heaters and ovens where high temperature resistance is crucial. To name a few examples, the sol-gel coating allows for operation in temperatures up to 600°C, PlasmaCoat® greatly increases the hardness of the surface, and TempCoat® makes the surface very non-stick while lowering the friction coefficient.
For machinery exposed to water and sunlight, a surface coating such as sol-gel provides special resistance to UV radiation and solvents, as well as ensuring perfect wetting.
Even in processes with an apparently lower impact, the correct surface coating can favour better operational fluidity and longer-lasting machine efficiency. In high-speed production cycles, for example, nonwoven fabrics and light paper, the difference between Impreglon coatings for rollers and rubber rollers lies in the functional characteristics. With respect to the latter, the first meet precise traction criteria, allowing for a smooth and efficient production process, while also offering elevated corrosion protection and non-stick and anti-adhesive properties.