At Metalesa we have always opted for sustainable development when carrying out all our processes; it is part of our business philosophy and we are very proud of it. The truth is that sustainability is central to the objective of satisfying the current needs of society; it’s about reaching that goal with a committed gaze. In this article we want to let you know how at Metalesa we take care of ensuring the well-being of our planet: we will talk about the thermo-lacquering installation and our zero-discharge treatment plant.

As a starting point, we would like to remind you that in our post on Smart Cities we explained our vision regarding the concept of ‘Smart City’. One of the features that characterizes Smart Cities is sustainability. At Metalesa we take on the challenge of innovating in the field of urban infrastructure and equipment, performing good resource management and advocating for sustainable social, environmental and economic development.

Thermo-lacquer: sustainable powder coating

The thermo-lacquering process developed in our facilities consists of applying a powder coating to a metal part that has been previously prepared, to be subsequently cured in the polymerization oven. Powder coatings provide a wide range of advantages over conventional paints, offering greater resistance to corrosion, heat, shock, torsion, abrasion, deterioration due to exposure to sunlight and adverse weather conditions.

Phases of the thermo-lacquered process over surfaces:

Phase 1: Pre-treatment

It consists of applying a treatment prior to the powder painting process that prepares the metallic elements to facilitate the adhesion of the paint and ensure a higher quality and durability anti oxidation.

Phase 2: Drying

The metal pieces are placed in an oven (drying tunnel) at high temperatures to remove moisture and prepare them for later lacquering.

Phase 3: Painting Booth

For parts up to 7.500mm long, the process is performed using automated robots and touch-up guns for an excellent finish.

Phase 4: Polymerized oven

Once the powder layers have been applied to the pieces, a heat treatment is carried out by introducing them in the oven at temperatures up to 220 ºC

Advantages of Thermo-lacquering Treatment

As we have already mentioned, its resistance to corrosion is one of the great advantages of this type of painting process since it increases the durable life to the pieces. However, this is not the only advantage of thermo-lacquering that is worth highlighting:

 

  • Panel coatings finishes are very attractive. Screens can be lacquered in any of the colours of the RAL range, a code that defines a colour using a set of digits.
  • The thermo-lacquering process is very environmentally friendly since it is a clean coating: the powder paint does not contain solvents, and the powder that does not remain attached to the piece during the treatment can be recovered for reuse. In fact, the use of this excess dust can be up to 98%, so that the generation of waste is greatly minimized. At Metalesa we use thermo-lacquering in order to be respectful with the environment.

Applications of thermo-lacquering in Metalesa

The cladding of facades with thermo-lacquer panels is a growing trend because of the advantages it presents. Our steel or aluminium screens for noise pollution are treated in our thermo-lacquering facilities.

These types of anti-noise screens also serve our goal of facing a global concern of the planet, noise pollution. This problem affects both people and the environment, and that thanks to our acoustic screens it can be effectively reversed.

Zero Discharge Treatment Plant: towards optimization

Metalesa is committed to preserve the environment, controlling waste and using products with a low level of contamination. That’s why we have a treatment plant with Zero Dumping technology. Thus, current environmental legislation is complied and commitment to continuous improvement acquired.

Thanks to our zero discharge treatment plant, we achieve one of our environmental objectives: we contribute to the recovery of aquifers by reusing water in our industrial processes, minimizing the amount of water used and optimizing our resource consumption.

Within the theory of the circular economy model, the reuse of water is seen as a novel perspective for the implementation by companies. However, at in Metalesa we have always counted on a zero discharge facility to comply with our sustainable purpose. And such will we continue to implement the most cutting-edge measures at our reach!

If you believe in our way of doing things during our long history and need our services, do not hesitate to contact us.