Anodizing Plant Division

Horizontal or Vertical Anodizing Plant

Turnkey worldwide installations

Since 1974, Italtecno have been supplying turnkey aluminium anodizing installations, worldwide.

Anodizing installations can be distinguished based on their design between:

  • Horizontal plants, for extruded profiles and sheets
  • Vertical plants, for extruded profiles

Horizontal Plant

Flexibility

  • Possibility of anodizing extruded profiles, sheets and accessories
  • Possibility of using different clamping sys­tems and optimizing racking times
  • Easy change of lay-out of tanks with possi­bility of expansion

Initial investment

  • Lower cost than vertical plants

Vertical Plant

Environment

  • Max 25% of the drag-out compared to horizontal plants
  • Good recycling possibilities

High quality

  • Uniformity of layer thickness distribution
  • Optimum rinsing efficiency
  • Automatic chemical replenishment and correction 24 hours/day

High Productivity

  • Fast clamping at only one edge of the profile
  • Less floor space
  • Automatic process by means of PC control

Cost control

  • Low man-hour cost

DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS

For both horizontal and vertical plants, it is possible to choose between three different layouts:

  • Return-type anodizing plant: This configuration is based on two lines, connected by shuttle trolley at the two ends; on one line loading/unloading stations are provided along with a large anodic bar storage area; the second line contains the treatment tanks; in this way it is achieved the maximum in terms of material handling flexibility and productivity
  • Single-line anodizing plant: This plant, designed as a single line, with loading and unloading areas at the two opposite ends, has got the advantage of a simple design and relatively small room needed.
  • U-shape anodizing plant: With this plant the treatment tanks are divided between two lines, connected by a shuttle trolley; loading and unloading areas are displayed at the two ends of each line; this configuration features the optimization of the space available in the building, when the total length of the li ne is an issue.

MAIN FEATURES FOR ADVANCED ANODIZING PLANTS

  • Tanks they are made of steel or stainless steel, suitably lined with soft PVC or completely made of Polypropylene, 15-20 mm. thick and suitably stiffened with steel or stainless steel profiles. The steel surfaces are sandblasted and finished with acid proof epoxy paint. Tanks for vertical anodizing plants are usually made of concrete and lined with suitable material (like polypropylene or polyethylene).

 

  • Machinery they are housed in separated rooms to protect them from corrosive fumes, with easy access for maintenance.

 

  • Complete fume exhaust systems suction directly over tanks with hoods capable of guaranteeing an internal atmosphere free from harmful and corrosive fumes. Possibility to add washing and neutralizing towers (scrubbers) for expulsion of fumes/gases treated in compliance local environmental standards ruling emissions.

 

  • Bridge cranes They are designed to provide all transfer (handling) and correct draining procedures within the times required and are suitable for operation in manual or fully automatic mode (the latter when combined with computerized systems). Semi-automatic systems are also available. Loading and unloading designed for the maximum comfort of the workers and for automatic working.

 

  • Air agitation Air agitation is carried out by low-pressure blowers, which blow chilled air across the treatment and rinsing tanks through a perforated PVC or Polypropylene tube held at the bottom of the anodizing tank.

 

  • Italtecno Conventional and Pulse Rectifier A complete array of current rectifiers is available. The Pulse rectifiers are in particular designed in accordance with the latest technologies to provide:
  1. Better quality and more uniform oxide
  2. Reduction of 20-30% of anodizing times
  3. Energy saving of 5-7%
  4. Remote control panel with computer for presetting the oxide thickness required.

 

  • Cooling systems:
  1. Pre-assembled modules with plate-type heat exchanger and acid resistant pumps (stainless steel) complete with digital thermo-regulation unit.
  2. Pre-assembled accumulation tank for chilled water, with circulation pumps.
  3. Refrigerating unit with air or water condensation depending on climatic conditions on site.

 

  • Italtecno FREEAL regeneration system: FREEAL is a unique technology designed to improve the efficiency of anodizing baths; it consist of a regeneration system for sulphuric acid of anodizing tanks with removal of aluminium sulphate. Fully automatic system operating on one or more tanks controlled by PLC. Fully automatic regeneration cycle with tap water.

 

  • Italtecno TECNO 4C power supply for electrocoloring: it is a special computerized power supply for electro-pigmentation with DC-AC waveform: simple programming allows the achievement of completely uniform colouring even with large loads (equivalent to maximum capac­ity of rectifiers).

 

  • Auxiliary equipment for electro­colouring tank: they are recommended in view of the high output, which can be obtained with TECNO 4C power supply. They consist of:
  1. Filtering and heat regulation unit with plate type heat exchanger.
  2. Mixing system with automatic metering of chemicals controlled by ampere-hour meter.

 

  • Italtecno MULTICOLOUR Technology: it is an innovative electrocolouring technology for the production of new colours for architectural and decorative applications. It is integrated by the Italtecno TECHNO­COLOUR power supply which implement a special software based on the Multicolour applications.

 

  • Italtecno TECNO 7S power supply: it is newly developed power supply for conventional and special electrocolouring processes; it is a completely static unit, with a computer based functioning.

 

  • Auxiliary equipment for sealing tanks: Pre-assembled unit consisting of filter pump and mixing system with automatic metering of chemicals controlled by metering pump programmed on the basis of daily out-put.

 

  • Italtecno DEMI PLUS Demineralizing units: automatic or manual, single or DUPLEX units (one in operation and one in stand-by).

 

  • Italtecno RO Reverse Osmosis demineralizing units: for the production of large quantities of demi water

 

  • Tanks heating system: Low-pressure steam generators provide it and heating coils. Electrical heating coils are also available. Also available the latest innovative Italtecno Single Burner for each individual tank to be heated up

 

  • Italtecno Waste Water Treatment Plants: they are plants for treatment of wastewater and concentrates, mud thickening system, final filtering with possibility of recycling up to 70% of the treated water with full compliance of the applicable environmental standards.

 

  • Italtecno DRYPLUS: this system drastically increases the “dry part” in the sludge produced as a waste in aluminium anodizing treatment lines; it allows to get a “dry part” equal to 40-50% of the total aluminium hydroxide sludge, instead of the usual 20-25% achieved in the traditional processes.

Return type Anodizing plant layout

  • Treatment – Brushing Machine With Stainless Steel Brushes
  1. It is designed for mechanical pre-treatment of the profiles, fully hydraulic unit with water lubrication. Advantages:
  2. Elimination of slight defects and extru­sion lines
  3. Scotch-Brite finishing (linear satin fin­ish)
  4. Reduction of 50-80% in chemical satin­finishing times and caustic soda con­sumption
  5. Reduction of aluminium waste

 

  • Pre-treatment – SATMAC machine: it is designed for a mechanical finish similar to the one obtained chemically in etching baths in 10-20 minutes.

 

  • Pre-treatment – TECNOMAC Polishing machine: these machines solve many problems related to the polishing of aluminium extrusions profiles. It is possible to obtain brushed (scotch-brite), semi­bright, bright finishes using different types of brushes, different polishing pastes and different know-how of employment of the machines.

 

  • Packing systems: conventional or fully automatic with final weighing.

 

  • Main control panel: for the power supply toward the different machines composing the anodizing plant.

Single Line Anodizing plant layout

U-Shape Anodizing plant layout

  • Computerized system for plant management: main part is the software package suitable for storage of the production data (treatment time-surface treated per load (m2)-oxide thickness) and for the automatic control of the whole plant (crane movements, start­stop of rectifiers, automatic dosing of chemicals). Possibility of plant-alarm management. Automatic dosing system for chemical addition (ACD). On line Internet Anodizing system technical service (IAS).

 

  • Chemical laboratory for analysis of baths and quality control
The design and technologies described, combined with the chemicals specifically developed by ITALTECNO, guarantee results which comply to European and international standards; they have also been developed with the aim of providing top efficiency, energy and water savings and complete respect for the environment in accordance to the most severe law limits.

Feel free to ask to our commercial department!
service@italtecno.com