Valeria Muzio, general manager, Edel Srl, discusses a new technology for industrial tinting systems, which provides the required metallic effects, even on unconventional surfaces.

In a general market demand setting for constant and progressive development, a tinting system ‘traditionally’ meant giving place to an increasing request for flexibility that a customer, who is more informed and aware, demands of his supplier.

The industrial tinting system, mainly managed by manual tinting machines so far, now runs to automatic tinting machines with a simultaneous dosing system.

Electronic tinting systems

Valeria Muzio, general manager, Edel Srl, discusses a new technology for industrial tinting systems, which provides the required metallic effects, even on unconventional surfaces

The versatility and particular care by Edel to meet its customers’ needs, allow the customisation of the electronic tinting machine with different numbers of canisters having varying capacities, customisable pump throughput and dosing speed, presence of one or two dosing heads to join or separate two different tinting systems having, a single software and hardware management.

In particular, the trend of the last years reports about an exponential request to integrate the traditional formulations with particular products, which are able to offer a wide range of special decorative effects, bright or old-fashioned style, even on non-conventional surfaces and supports.

From this point of view, metallic pigments are of primary importance and their integration into various tinting systems brought in by paint producers is now necessary.

The growing importance of the use of these products in the electronic tinting machine was the subject of a technical analysis published by a European sector magazine in March 2009.

The result of this analysis fixed the impossible or the extremely difficult, regarding the dosing of metallic pigments (fine and coarse aluminium) with tinting machines working with gear pump technology.

On the other hand, it showed the good results obtained by means of the use of different technologies such as piston or bellow pumps.

Gear pump technology

Considering the importance of the relationship existing between the pigment and the pump technology used in the dispenser, Edel experience still trusts in gear pump technology and the results have proven this.

Agreed results achieved with the use of pump alternatives to gears, are currently being measured against the test pointed out in the article of March 2009, that the dosing of metallic pigments by means of gear pumps is possible and with great results compared with any other colorant of the tinting system.

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