Since the long-considered untouchable lubricant base PFAS has been demonized, pursued, and ultimately widely restricted, a frantic to panicked search for alternatives has begun. What was initially hyped as 'unsolvable' is losing its panic potential as substitutes are gradually being presented. They promise as much as the coating companies that apply them. But what can they really do? What properties do they possess? Is there one all-purpose material that can do it all? And which coater keeps their promises?
At the latest since the end of last year, more and more PFAS-free paints are appearing that are supposed to make us forget the decline of the coating miracle that was considered untouchable for decades. It sometimes gets overlooked that some coating providers have been using PFAS-free paints for years. They are therefore not a new release. Nevertheless, the growing variety of alternatives is remarkable. Because - to put it bluntly, there is no one universal coating paint - and there never was. It is all the more important that the coater of your choice can offer a wide range of paints and the appropriate expertise on how to apply them and what they are best suited for.
Coaters should clarify important questions in advance
For example, the coating company OVE Plasmatec from Weil im Schönbuch not only has nearly seven PFAS-free paints but also extensive experience in the refinement of elastomer surfaces. It is not always about large series starting from a million pieces. The Swabians have also coated a single sealing ring with a diameter of two meters. However, the key is always the right paints for the application-specific coating of elastomers, primarily seals.
To find this out, important questions should be asked and answered in advance: Is it a static or dynamic application? Can the paint be colored? For what operating temperatures is it suitable? What low friction values can it offer? Does it reduce insertion forces? Does it facilitate assembly and separation? All of these are, for example, fundamental questions. Equally important is often whether the automotive industry has approved the paints, whether they are LABS-compliant, or whether there is an FDA or drinking water approval. If the coater does not have suitable answers to this and cannot provide advice, caution is advised. It is optimal if they also have the right product for competent advice.
Experiencewith different applications is important
At OVE Plasmatec, they are familiar with such questions and paints. After all, the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a GmbH this year. Their experience with the refinement of elastomer surfaces even dates back to the 1980s. 'We are hardly unfamiliar with any requirement or application,' emphasizes Managing Director Heiko Friedrich. With this expertise in hand, they also maintain contacts with their customers, listen, and occasionally provide application tips on how to simplify or improve processes. In such direct contacts lies the advantage of a small family-run medium-sized company.
When you, as a customer, engage with such coaters with personal closeness, the best and most suitable solutions for you also emerge. Because it is not always immediately clear which paint is right for the coating of the specific application case. If a coater can also offer tests, it certainly strengthens a trusting collaboration. For this purpose, OVE Plasmatec has been using its own technical center since the beginning of 2024. In various experimental setups, the experts accompany a possible testing process up to the suitable coating.
Paints renommended manufacturer tested in their own technical center
For coatings, the specialists in Weil im Schönbuch primarily use paints from large and well-known manufacturers. This ensures high and lasting delivery reliability. Depending on the application case, the paints can also be freely configured. For many customers, this is an important point in their decision for a two-supplier strategy. Currently, OVE Plasmatec can use six PFAS-free paints. A seventh will be available in the second half of the year.
Since autumn 2024, three new developments will complement the portfolio. Thus, there is OVE20T, a PFAS-free wax mixture, OVE25T, a PFAS-free polymer solid lubricant, and OVE26T, a transparent PFAS-free silicone coating. As OVE25X and OVE26X, these are also available in eight colors: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, white, violet, and gray. For differentiation, identification, or recognition by cameras in automated processes, this is often a crucial aspect. For years, the two PFAS-free coatings OVE13T based on silicone lubricant and OVE95T based on synthetic resin silicone have also been in use.
High-performance coatings for specific cases
All these PFAS-free paints are characterized by special applications. For example, OVE20T can be used as a universal, water-based sliding paint with an organic binder for coating in simple applications. It reduces friction and noise, ensures permanent separation in automatic feeding, facilitates assembly, and adheres well to metals, plastics, and elastomers. If no different colors are required, this is a cost-effective base coating.
As another new water-based sliding paint with an organic binder, OVE25T increases the performance of many seals. The base material consists of polymer solid lubricants. This creates a high-quality elastic surface that adheres very well to metal, plastic, and elastomers, reduces friction, and features a UV indicator for easy testing. Thus, the PFAS-free new development facilitates assembly and is often used in automatic feed systems.
Meets strict requirements from OEMs
In contrast, OVE13T is quite an old hand. For over 15 years, this water-based PFAS-free sliding paint with graphite has offered a smooth surface. It is very resistant to chemicals, reduces friction, permanently separates sealing rings, and prevents adhesion. Therefore, it is suitable for dynamic applications as well as for static ones. That is why it has been used for easier assembly and for automatic feed systems for years.
V automobilovém průmyslu s jeho zvlášť vysokými požadavky se často používá osvědčený OVE95T. Tento rozpouštědlový 3-komponentní kluzný lak s umělohmotným silikonem vytváří transparentní, suchou a tenkou kluznou vrstvu s velmi nízkými třecími hodnotami. Snižuje montážní síly a usnadňuje montáž. Kromě toho je do značné míry odolný vůči vodě, palivům a minerálním olejům. To ho předurčuje pro aplikace v automobilovém prostředí. S OVE95T lze například splnit požadavek VW na shodu s LABS.
Přemýšliví partneři podporují včas
Navzdory veškeré rozmanitosti, kterou dnes existují bez PFAS laky, by měl být každý použitý prostor a případ aplikace konkrétně prověřen a případný lak otestován. Důvěryhodné povrchové společnosti se rády zapojí do spolupráce se svými zákazníky, aby našly správný produkt. „Na cestě k optimálně vhodnému povrchu rádi vezmeme naše zákazníky za ruku,“ říká Bettina Kremer, také jednatelka společnosti OVE Plasmatec. „S produkty našich zákazníků zacházíme opatrně, včas poskytujeme informace o stavu testů a také se zabýváme věcmi, když to jednou nemusí optimálně vycházet,“ říká Kremer. Při hledání vhodného povrchu pro zvýšení výkonu svých elastomerových těsnění by společnosti měly co nejdříve kontaktovat kompetentní partnery pro povrchovou úpravu. Čím dříve mohou být nastaveny důležité směry, tím lépe pro dodavatele těsnění, případ aplikace a udržitelnost, dlouhou funkčnost zařízení, agregátů a strojů. A to vše ekologicky a přátelsky k životu bez PFAS.
OVE zvyšuje výkon těsnění
Rodinná firma OVE Plasmatec GmbH, založená v roce 1990, se jako vysoce profesionální poskytovatel služeb stará o povrchovou úpravu elastomerů. To zahrnuje procesy čištění, povrchovou úpravu, ošetření a servis. Unikátní je nízkotlaké plazmové zařízení, kterým jsou těsnění strojově hloubkově čištěna. Široké spektrum služeb, jako je například testování, speciální balení nebo označování, usnadňuje výrobcům a uživatelům těsnění procesy. Kvalitní testy s měřením třecího koeficientu nebo točivého momentu a testy na volnost LABS a příslušná dokumentace poskytují zákazníkům požadovanou jistotu. S přibližně 30 zaměstnanci a profesionálním strojním parkem se každý měsíc průměrně zpracovává 80 milionů dílů. S vlastním technickým centrem, které bude otevřeno v roce 2024, aktivně utvářejí inovativní pionýři vysoce výkonných povrchových úprav pro elastomery budoucnost technologie čištění a povrchové úpravy. Vždy mají na paměti vysokoprofiloví poskytovatelé služeb pro povrchovou úpravu elastomerů čistotu částic, bezbakteriálnost a ověřenou a certifikovanou volnost LABS. To vzniká prostřednictvím procesů čištění a povrchové úpravy a týká se nejen produktů, ale také obalů.
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