Architectural Application on Aluminum
Posted on Friday, March 1, 2013
By Sharon Spielman
By installing a turnkey powder coating system,
this window and door manufacturer was able to
achieve AAMA-2605 specs, eliminate the use of
chrome and see improved efficiency across the board.
Read on to find out how they did it.
For more than 60 years,
Quaker Windows & Doors in
Freeburg, Mo., has been dedicated
to making quality products
for the architectural industry.
The company was founded in
1949 by Marge and Harold “Bud”
Knoll, who dedicated themselves
to building a leading business.
“A Tradition of Quality” is the
company’s motto and pledge. “We
constantly strive to build on our
reputation for quality along with
our history and passion for continual
improvement and product
development,” says Kevin Blansett,
general manager at Quaker.
The manufacturer’s secondgeneration
owners are committed
to making windows and
doors using the finest products
available, including aluminum,
wood and vinyl. To achieve the
best finish on its aluminum
products, Quaker switched from
liquid to powder coating in 2009.
When Quaker decided to construct
a new paint facility in July
2012, the company decided to
install a turnkey powder coating
system, complete with pretreatment
through final cure.
“We contacted several companies
that had experience in
the design, layout and ability to
provide the equipment needed
for a paint facility, Blansett tells
Powder Coated Tough. After
reviewing layouts and equipment
that each supplier would
be able to provide, it was decided
to use Sherwin-Williams as the
equipment supplier for this
project.”
According to Kevin Cross,
senior sales executive, at Sherwin-
Williams, “We designed and
integrated all pieces of the equipment.”
The parts are loaded on a
3" I-beam conveyor with traction
turns, from Rapid Industries.
Then the parts enter the fivestage
washer, which was designed
in conjunction with Bulk
Chemicals Inc.
Stage 1: Heated 316 ELC S.S.
Cleaner/Phosphate
Stage 2: 304 S.S. Fresh Water Rinse
Stage 3: 304 S.S. Conditioner
Stage 4: 304 S.S. RO Rinse
Stage 5: 304 S.S. Non-Chrome Seal
All of the chemicals that
Quaker uses for pretreatment
are from Bulk Chemical Inc.,
Blansett says. Parts then head
into a Colmet convection style
dry-off oven, then through a
Quick Color Change Wagner
Prima Sprint Powder Booth with
a SuperCenter. Once the parts
leave the powder booth and
environmental room, they travel
through a Pro-Therm electric IR
gel oven. “This is used if the parts
require AAMA-2605 clear coat,”
Cross reveals. The parts then
travel back into the environmental
room and through an existing
Gema Powder Booth. “This booth
is also only used for AAMA-2605
clear coat,” Cross says. The parts
then travel through a Pro-Therm
electric IR ramp-up oven and
then into the Colmet convection-
style cure oven. Finally, the
parts are cooled off and unloaded.
Blansett says that Quaker uses
powder coatings from TCI and
Sherwin-Williams to finish all
their aluminum
products.
“This was a total solution
partnership,” Cross says. “The
Sherwin-Williams team: Bulk
Chemicals Inc., Colmet, Pro-
Therm, Rapid Industries and
Wagner, were able to provide our
customer Quaker Windows with
a turnkey system and solve their
coatings issues.”
Since the installation, “efficiency,
product quality and powder
yield have increased significantly,”
Blansett says. “We are getting in
excess of 50 pounds of metal to a
pound of powder.” And production
almost doubled, according
to Cross. Quaker was able to shut
down one shift and sometimes
reduce production by one day on
the first shift.
Additionally with the installation,
Quaker was able to eliminate
the use of chrome. And
although the company was certified
and passed all AAMA testing
prior to building the new facility,
sometimes reaching AAMA-2605
was a real challenge. Since the
installation of the new turnkey
system, Cross says that meeting
AAMA-2605 specifications has
been easily achieved.
“Quaker began as a family-
owned company that manufactured
venetian blinds, storm windows,
and storm doors,” Blansett
says. “Today, Quaker is now a one
stop shop for all of your window
and door products.”
Sharon Spielman is editor of Powder
Coated Tough magazine. She can be
reached via email at:
sspielman@powdercoating.org
