A glimpse behind the scenes
EBNER.blog | Herbert Gabriel, EBNER, USA
A glimpse behind the scenes.
Thanks to process optimization, EBNER USA has improved both efficiency and quality - providing customers with added value.
As a part of our internal effort to optimize processes and workflows, a new paint booth was installed at EBNER Furnaces in the USA. You can learn more about this installation and the background behind it in the following interview.
HICON Journal: Could you please explain what led to the decision to install a paint booth?
Late in 2017, we started looking into the possibility of adding on to the workshop. In that process, we determined that adding a paint booth would not only optimize our floor space, but also improve our workflow. In the end, we figured out that just adding the paint booth to our current layout was enough to free up the muchneeded floor space we were after.
Without a paint booth, we would spread parts out onto the floor and paint them one side at a time. This was an extremely inefficient process that could take days, if not weeks, depending on the drying time – which depends on humidity. By adding the booth, we can now process those same parts that took several days to cure in a matter of hours.
HICON Journal: How did you decide on the size?
Initially, we didn’t decide on the exact size that we needed. Instead, we conducted several process flow exercises throughout the entire workshop to gain a better understanding of where the booth should actually be in our workflow. Once the optimal spot was determined, we wanted to maximize the available space in that area. In doing so we ended up with a booth at 22’ x 30’ and a height of 14’. This will accommodate basically all but the largest furnace components and piping systems.
HICON Journal: Can you summarize the features of the booth?
We ended up going with a custom-designed booth, in order to accommodate our larger components. Two of the main custom features are the oversized doorways. Standard paint booth product doors are located on the short side of the booth. However, we moved the product doors to the long side of the booth, which allowed for a 12’ x 22’ doorway. These oversized folding doors also open up towards a main shipping aisle, with overhead crane capacity for loading and unloading trucks. On the opposite side of the booth, we designed for a double-man door which opens up into a newly-designed Quality Control / Shipping area. This will optimize our workflow for finished goods. Our booth incorporates heated replacement air, which allows for minimum painting temperatures of 70 °F throughout the year. Additionally, our booth features low temperature curing at 160 °F for accelerated curing times.
HICON Journal: How about environmental concerns?
The design and operation of the booth were approved by both the county and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). From an environmental standpoint, we are making significant improvements to our past painting process. The booth is designed to contain hazardous gases and materials which would otherwise be released into the environment.
HICON Journal: What kind of improvements are you expecting from the booth?
Painting within a controlled environment will certainly improve our quality. No longer will we will have to contend with dust and debris settling onto finished products. The curing option will not only improve the durability of our paint, but it will also reduce our throughput times, thus creating additional floor space within the production areas. However, the biggest improvement I see with the booth is the safety of our employees. Harmful vapors and gases will now be contained and filtered within the booth which will improve the air quality for our workforce.
HICON Journal: Thank you very much for the interesting conversation and explanations!
