Corrosion and wear continue to pose significant challenges to industrial equipment, especially in harsh and demanding environments where downtime is costly. In many cases, the issue is not only exposure to these conditions, but the use of coatings that are not suited to them. WEG, a global specialist in protective and performance-driven industrial coatings, has addressed this challenge by developing coatings that withstand high abrasion environments.
Regular equipment maintenance requires careful planning, but unexpected events can disrupt even the most organised schedules. Incorrect curing procedures and incompatible coatings can also cause issues, such as tackiness, peeling or incomplete hardness. For industrial equipment used in high-temperature settings for example, coatings without proper ultra-violet (UV) protection will lead to premature failure.
A clear example of these challenges can be seen in a project carried out in collaboration between WEG and an industrial maintenance partner. The machinery involved was operating in highly abrasive environments and had suffered significant surface deterioration. To restore it through surface renewal, the process began with sanding the structure to remove any remaining traces of the old coating.
As natural oxidation tends to cause coating failure through UV damage of the coatings’ clear coat, correction took place to remove the damaged coat before moving onto the next step. Once the surfaces were ready, WEG’s WEGPOXI WET SURFACE 88 HT primer, an epoxy polyamine high build primer/topcoat bicomponentdesigned with anticorrosive pigments for steel surfaces, was applied. This was followed by paint from the SRD line, ensuring not only durability, but also an aesthetic revitalisation of the equipment.
The new coatings significantly improved durability, enabling the machinery to better withstand harsh industrial conditions and reducing maintenance requirements. This resulted in a significant reduction in unplanned downtime, alongside improved productivity and more optimised operational costs. By enhancing surface protection, the system also improved overall equipment reliability in demanding environments.
Because of this, the service life of the equipment was also increased, meaning that the equipment could be kept running for longer without having to compromise the quality of the production. This further resulted in less maintenance needed and greater profitability for the customer.
Thanks to their experience in developing solutions for operational efficiency since 1961, WEG has created a line of coating products for heavily impacted industrial equipment, suitable for a variety of industries. This range includes liquid coatings, powder coatings, coatings for industrial refinishing and fleet applications, impregnation varnishes and diluent.