Surface and Coating Expo 2018

I was really happy and excited to attend this event that was conducted in the Chennai Trade Center that was held from 31st of August to the 2nd of September. There were a lot of stalls and the event was brimming with so much knowledge that could help in opening up a lot of different perspectives.

The people in the stalls were very willing and happy to describe to me about the various processes that their firm specializes in. They were very welcoming and supportive to young minds who came in search of knowledge. And, they were also patient enough to clarify about the fundamental doubts that I had while listening to their explanation.
Overall, it was a very beautiful experience that helped me to gain a bit more of knowledge about the bleeding edge of technology that is currently in use.
A gist about a few of the lot of interesting things that I encountered:
· The different types of paint application techniques and coating materials.
· Salt spray test and related tests to analyze the endurance of applied coating.
· Application of Oil-eating Bacterium to remove the grease from metallic parts.
· An idea about the amount of LPG/CNG/PNG that an average industry needs.
· The two different types of methods for capturing solar energy.
· The pre-treatment processes that materials undergo prior to coating process.
· About the uniqueness of Fuzzy Logic.
VITECH ENVIRO SYSTEMS PRIVATE LIMITED

It is a firm that started its service in 1993 and has earned about 25 years of excellence. They specialize in a lot of different techniques of paint applications. They also have scrubbers in their range of products which help in finding solutions for air pollution from industries. Their products use quality raw material such as Steel sheets, ISMC (Indian Standard Medium Channel), ISMB (Indian Standard Medium Beam), blowers and motors to make them in compliance with ISO 9001:2008 standards.
Their products are primarily used in all engineering, automobile, chemical and cement industries. Some of their clients are Alstom, Rane, Power Gear, Pro Tec, Mersen and more. Their products also find application in Defence, Space and other public sector plants.
What I learned ??
The different types of paint booths included dry type and wet type. There were also cross draft and down draft types of paint booth.
The dry type paint booth employed filter papers for filtering away the excess particles during the paint application procedure while the wet type employs water for the same purpose. Under the wet type, there was another method which differed from the method that uses stagnant water. This method is called water curtain type which uses a curtain of water to filter out the particles.
Also, there were two types of paint application methods referred to as the cross draft and down draft method which as the name suggests, describes the direction in which the paint is applied.
There are also scrubbers which are used in the control of pollution. These scrubbers once again employ the wet type and dry type mechanisms to filter out the particles that are causing the pollution. Mainly used in the paint industry.
Website Link : http://vitechindia.com/ ; http://www.vitechindia.org/
LeBracs

This firm commenced their activities in 1989 and are going strong with it in present earning them more than 25 years of experience. Their factory spreads over four acres of land with a covered area of 300,000 Sq.ft at Puducherry and is integrated for fabrication as well as rubber lining. It is certified under the Integrated Management System (IMS) indicating the company’s commitment towards the Environment, Quality and Safety standards.
This company specializes in providing abrasion resistant rubber lining that is customized for use in transportation of slurry/minerals. They do onsite rubber linings for equipment that are too large to be transported. Their main target industry is the Ore handling and Mineral Processing Industry. They are also used in equipment for Pump Box, Launder, Chute, Slurry Hose, etc,
What I learned ??
The rubber linings that are provided can last for 3 years or even 7 years depending on the proper maintenance of the customer.
The customization of the thickness normally ranges between 6mm to 10mm and is made of a single ply from soft natural rubber.
Extruded (pulled in a single file) rubber sheets have superior properties when compared to the calendared (pressed together) rubber sheets. And, Lebracs is the only Company in India to have a State-of-Art Extruder Machine.
The Vulcanization (the process of adding cross-links within rubber to make them gain superior properties) process is carried out using Autoclave. And, they have a autoclave of 5 meter in diameter and 8.5 meter in length to perform the most demanding works.
Website Link : http://www.lebracsrubber.com/
NG Coaters

This firm is based in the Ambattur area of Chennai. They claim to have the best machinery for performing their particular type of coating. Their machinery has a tilting mechanism that allows them to coat even the most complex parts.
They mainly perform coating of the type where Zinc and Aluminium flakes are mixed in an organic matrix and this organic matrix is then non-electrolytically applied on the materials. This method of application is referred to as Dip and Spin method. Aside from this there was also a mention about the Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE) coating that they are capable of doing. Their clients are mainly those firms that need their parts to have coat of very high endurance.
What I learned ??
Dip and Spin coating is one of the coating methods in which the material to be coated is placed in a mesh basket and then immersed in the coating solution. It is then spun to remove the excess coating from the material. The temperature and viscosity of the coating, immersion time, spin direction and velocities, and the cure method are all among of the variables that can be customized to achieve the perfect coating.
The coating that is done through the dip and spin technology can withstand to about 1000 hours in the salt spray test while the normally electroplated coating can last for about 120 hours in the salt spray test.
Salt spray test is a test that has various modifications. It essentially is the process by which the material is exposed to a salt solution and checked for the amount of time it can last without forming rust.
Website Link : http://ngcoaters.com/
Regent Biochem India Private Limited

It is a joint venture company with Bio-Circle Surface Technology, Germany. The firm was established in the year 2005 as a Private Limited Company. It has put a strong niche and acquired a distinct position in the industry within very short period of its commencement of operations. The company has since its establishment been focused towards serving to the customers with solutions in an Eco-friendly manner.
Their products are Eco-friendly and Bio degradable meant for cleaning, Industrial parts washing, Maintenance and surface protection. The company has focused its efforts towards manufacturing, trading and supplying a diversified range of Alkaline Cleaner, Bio Parts Washer, Acidic Cleaner, pH Neutral Cleaner, Anti Spatter Spray, Weld Cleaning System and more. They are also providing services for Weld Cleaning Service and Part Washer Maintenance Service. The brands in which they deal with are Bio-Chem, Bio-Circle and Surfox.
What I learned ??
One of their equipment called Bio Circle Cleaning System employs the usage of oil eating bacteria to remove the grease from the metal parts. The equipment is fitted with an oxygen pump as the bacteria is aerobic in nature and requires oxygen to carry out the process.
The optimal conditions for the bacterial action are a pH- 7–8 and a temperature of about 40 degree Celsius. The capacity of average sized equipment is about 100 liters.
Website Link : https://www.bio-chem.in
PON-E

It is a well-established manufacturer and supplier of Powder Coating Plants and Control Equipments. This Parent Company was promoted in 1995 as a small scale industry by Mr. S. Muthukumar and incorporated as PON ENGINEERS PVT. LTD. The firm treads on with the idea of marketing exploration in the field of Powder Coating Plants and Equipments.
This firm has tried to make the coating process easier through the marketing of what it claims as the world’s light weight powder coating gun. The system makes use of a logic called “fuzzy logic” to make the process more robust and easier for the handler. There are three types of machines that have been made with one being more advanced than the other. The three machines are called as Flexi flow, Flexi Auto and Flexi Touch. The flexi touch model is said to be the most advanced, featuring a touch screen in the console.
Aside from this, the company provides complete solutions for Powder Coating/CED Coating Plants such as Fully Automatic Powder Spray Guns, Reciprocators, Automatic Feeding and Sieving Machines, Gun-less Powder Coating System, Powder and Curing System, General Purpose Heating/Hot Phospating Units, Electrostatic Oil Purifiers, High Voltage Monitors, LPG Fired Tube Heaters, Aluminium Aging and Annealing Ovens.
What I learned ??
I liked the concept of fuzzy logic which aims at the principle of a situation not being completely true or completely false. The partial logic values such as 0.75 or 0.25 allows the changes to happen in a much more gradual way allowing the system to be more robust and easy to handle.
Website Link : http://www.ponengineers.com/
Sun Phospho Chem — Coroseal Chemicals

This firm started its manufacturing of Metal Treatment chemicals in 1990 and is based in Ayanambakkam, Chennai. They are currently manufacturing a wide range of Metallic Surface Treatment Chemicals, Cooling Water Treatment Chemicals and Boiling Water Treatment Chemicals.
They mainly focuses on the pre-treatment of metallic surfaces which is done prior to the painting or coating procedures. They specialize in the pre-treatment of mild steel and aluminium.
The stall had a really detailed flowchart about the various process through which the metallic surfaces are made to go through during the process and what is done at each step of the process. They also gave out a book with various formulas that are used in the pre treatment process along with very easy to understand description.
What I learned ??
Pre treatment is the chemical process in which the cleaning and subsequent conversion coating of the metallic surface is done prior to painting or powder coating. The process varies slightly for Mild Steel when compared to that of Aluminium.
The process is of the following manner for mild steel: (Degreasing → Derusting → Pre-activation → Phosphating → Passivation) with each step being followed by water rinsing in between.
For aluminium the derusting is replaced by the process of desmutting which uses weak nitric acid. Also, the phosphating is replaced by Chromating process. The steps of Pre activation and Passivation are not present in the pre treatment process of Aluminium.
Website Link : http://www.corosealchemicals.com/
Thermo Fisher Scientific India Private Limited

Established in the year 2006 at Mumbai and Maharashtra, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt. Ltd. is a Private Limited Company based firm. They are engaged as the foremost Manufacturer of Raw Material Identification instruments such as XRF(X-ray Fluorescence) Analyzer and Precious Metal Analyzer. The products are high in demand due to their premium quality, seamless finish, different patterns and affordable prices.
The equipment that they manufacture are mainly used for quality control and also for finding the nature of the material used in a component.
At the event, they were showcasing handheld XRF guns that can be pointed at the material and the identification is performed based on the fluorescence signature that each material exhibits uniquely. I got a demo of how the device actually works using my watch as the target to be detected.
What I learned ??
Materials like rubber cannot be tested. And when new materials that are not present in the database are to be tested, the device needs to be calibrated to be able to detect it.
The device is also harmful if mishandled as it has the capacity of about 2 watts.
Website Link : http://www.thermofisher.com/in/en/home.html ; https://www.indiamart.com/thermofisherscientific/
PUNE GAS

An ISO 9001: 2015 Certified Company Delivering Complete Solutions for LPG, PNG & Industrial Gas Systems since 1986. They are a 30+ year old company that has made an impact towards creating LPG infrastructures for Industries, Hospitality Sector and Residential Projects by way of providing state of the art Installations and Quality Equipment. They also have a very good customer service support.
They undertake projects on a turnkey basis, to provide expert guidance right from planning, manufacturing and commissioning according to the clients’ specific requirements. Equipment related to gas systems has also been exported to various global destinations. They also manufacture and install gas systems for other gases like Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide and other industrial gases and have carried out more than 4500 Installations nationwide. They have a very wide clientele which includes Indian Oil, Gail Gas, Bharat Petroleum and many more.
What I learned ??
The company deals mainly with LPG(Liquefied Petroleum Gas), CNG(Compressed Natural Gas) and PNG(Piped Natural Gas).
Commercial cylinders that weigh 14 or 19 kilograms have an output of 0.5 kilogram per hour.
The industries that require huge output require cylinders of higher grade. These are normally either of 47 kg or 33 kg.
The industries require a supply that should meet about 4 kg/hour of gas for carrying out their various processes.
The most commonly used valve in the gas industry is the ball valve as they provide a better efficiency and control.
I also got to know a bit about their firm both from their explanation and also from their professionally made website.
Website Link : http://punegas.com/
Aspiration Energy

Aspiration energy is promoted by the co-founders of Aspire Systems, an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. They are supported and seed-funded by the Renewable Search program (RE: Search) jointly administered by IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Aspiration Energy is an innovative Solar Energy Services company, providing decentralized solar thermal systems and hyper-efficient heat pumps for industrial process heating. They offer heating solutions that provide long term predictable low-energy costs on a unique monthly performance based energy payment. The solar panels they use are of the type solar thermal and not of the photo voltaic type. This firm aims at reducing the consumption to energy for heating applications and they assure that it’s easily possible to raise the temperature of water solutions to up to 80 degrees Celsius.
What I learned ??
The solar to thermal mechanisms uses a component called evacuator tube collector to capture the solar energy and use it for heating applications.
The cost for setting up a system to produce 1 kw is about 40,000 in Indian rupees.
CUF (Capacity Utilization Factor) is one of the most important factor that is used to calculate the efficiency of capturing solar energy.
The refrigerant used to perform the heating process is mainly XP140 and R134A.
Website Link : https://aspirationenergy.com/
SHV Energy (SUPERGAS)

SHV(Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging) Energy Pvt. Ltd is a 100% subsidiary of one of the World’s Leading LPG Company SHV Energy N.V., a Dutch Multinational Company. SHV operates in India under the brand name SUPERGAS. From their establishment in 1996, they have developed to become a leading LPG player across customer segments including Industrial, Commercial, Domestic and Auto LPG.
This is a firm that is a family-owned multinational organization that consists of a group of specialized energy companies. They currently have 30 million customers and are working in about 28 countries around the world. They are based in Netherlands and are currently operating in 3 continents.
They are mainly handling LPG distribution and are importing from Saudi Arabia. They handle the supply as well as the installation procedures through their unique package.
What I learned ??
Every consignment is checked for the safety and the containers use epoxy residues and corrosive coating for protection.
The mainly used valves are the ball type valves with a small amount of non return valves in places where absence of backflow is to be ensured.
The LPG are mainly stored in bullet shells and are kept under a pressure value of 6 kg/sq.cm to 8 kg/sq.cm
Their average supply cylinders to industries weigh around 450 kgs.
Website Link : https://www.supergas.com/ ; http://www.shvenergy.com/
ARUDRA ENGINEERS PRIVATE LIMITED

The Arudra Engineers Pvt. Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company and is part of a well known Chennai based IGP group. Their functional and technical experience crosses over 3 decades of industrial cleaning expertise by continuing to serve more than 20 industrial domains.
They offer a wide variety of cleaning, advanced NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) inspection, RLA (Remaining Life Assessment) inspection and maintenance services for Pipelines, Boilers, Condensers and Heat Exchangers in power generators across the world.
What I learned ??
Cold welding or contact welding is a solid-state welding process in which joining takes place without fusion/heating at the interface of the two parts to be welded. Unlike in the fusion-welding processes, no liquid or molten phase is present in the joint.
Website Link : http://www.arudra.co.in/
ATOTECH

Atotech was officially founded in 1993. They originally started under a different name in 1851. Their early founder named Schering had a part in selling the world’s first “fast” electrolyte and the world’s first bright surface treatment bath in 1936. As years passed, they kept on growing. Currently, they are very highly capable in two fields of business which are electronics and general metal finishing.
They have very good experience in plating chemicals, equipment and services for printed circuit board (PCB), package substrate and semiconductor manufacturing. They also have a good capability to do decorative and functional surface finishing. They use a wide series of different plating techniques to cater to wide range of needs. Major companies like India Yamaha and KYB are clients who use their service.
What I learned ??
They use different types of plating which includes multi-layer Nickel plating, Electroless Nickel Plating, Alkaline and Acid Copper, Hard Chrome and Soft Chrome and Zinc flake Technology. There is also a paint support technology that helps in better finishing of the products.
A new type of plating method that uses zirconium was explained. I was told that it was new type of method that the firm’s research and development team put their efforts into perfecting.
Website Link : https://www.atotech.com/
De Novo

De Novo is an Indian company that was established in the year 1995 and it’s one of the main distributors in India for CIB Unigas. They are involved in an exchange of the heating supplies with them and manage different sorts of power elements like Light Oil, Heavy Oil, Gas Burners Dual Fuel Burner for Light Oil-Gas, Heavy Oil-Gas that are required in several industries.
They have a wide range of burners that are distributed to the many industries based on their requirements. The different varieties include burners that use oil as fuel or gas as fuel. There were also burners that use dual fuel mechanisms. They also are ready to take up orders based on customized requirements. Their clients include Hindustan Unilever Limited, Britannia, ITC Limited and more.
What I learned ??
The oil burners use furnace oil or even diesel as fuel while the gas burners use CNG and LPG as fuel. Gas burners are considered more combustion efficient as they use a cleaner fuel while the oil burners produce higher calorific value. So, they both have their own advantages.
The lifetime of the burners can be about 15 to 20 years depending on the maintenance. This includes providing the optimal amount of oxygen to ensure as efficient combustion as possible. For this, about 3% of oxygen in the burning process is required.
Gas Strain Reducing Station is one of the important factors that is needed to carry out efficient combustion. It employs the usage of a component called multi block which uses solenoid valve assembly to reduce the pressure of the air from 2 bar (atmosphere) to 20 millibar. This enables an efficient combustion in the burner.
Website Link : http://www.denovoindia.com/
COATEC INDIA

The firm was established in1992 and has earned about 26 years of service. Teflon coating was the first service provided by Coatec India. In January 2001, the pilot plant for Cathodic Electro Deposited (CED) Coating was commissioned and the firm took up this service as well. And, over the years the firm developed further into more niches, gaining experience and growth.
The different types of coating included Rubber to metal coating, Teflon Coating, Glide Coating, Zinc flake Coating. The Rubber to Metal Coating is branded as ‘Chemlok’, a proprietary product of Lord Corporation. Similarly many more coating procedures are proprietary product of different firms.
What I learned ??
The liquid paint coating requires the curing process at around the temperature of 120 degree Celsius. The powder type coating procedure requires the curing temperature to be around 200 degree Celsius. And, the electro coating procedure requires the curing temperature to be around 180 degree Celsius.
The drill bits that require high endurance and other components that are in need of high endurance are subjected to PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) and CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition). This is considered to be very expensive but also has very high efficiency.
Website Link : https://www.coatecindia.com/

Spreading Smiles
What I loved the most during the event was that people who I haven’t even met before were so willing and happy to impart their knowledge to me.
Most of the comments that I received from them just showed it to me about how genuinely happy they were to see students taking an interest and coming to the event.
With each doubt that I asked and with each technical term that I uttered in relation with the product made their face more brighter and I was able to see lot of smiles along with a few gentle taps of approval on my shoulder. Overall, it’s an event that I wanted to make a memory of and that’s why it ended up as a blog here.
