Hydraulic Emulsifier in Industrial Coating Production
Background
A small-to-medium industrial coating manufacturer based in Central Asia specializes in producing heavy-duty coatings for metal structures, such as bridge components and industrial machinery. Before 2023, the company relied on a mechanical-driven emulsifier to blend high-viscosity resin, pigment, and solvent mixtures—key ingredients for its corrosion-resistant coatings.
This old equipment brought two critical challenges: First, its mechanical drive system struggled to handle the high viscosity of the coating mixtures (up to 15,000 cP), often leading to uneven mixing and requiring frequent pauses to adjust pressure. This resulted in a long production cycle, with each 200-liter batch of coating taking up to 120 minutes to emulsify, causing delays during peak seasons. Second, the mechanical parts were prone to wear due to the high load, leading to monthly breakdowns that disrupted production and increased maintenance costs (averaging $3,000 per month in repair fees).
Solution Adoption
In early 2023, the company replaced the old mechanical emulsifier with a hydraulic-driven emulsifier. The new device featured a high-torque hydraulic system (capable of handling viscosities up to 30,000 cP) and a wear-resistant stainless steel mixing chamber. It was chosen specifically for its ability to handle high-viscosity coating mixtures smoothly and its lower risk of mechanical wear compared to the previous equipment.
Outcomes
- Shorter Production Cycles: The hydraulic emulsifier’s high torque allowed it to mix high-viscosity coating batches without pauses. The time per 200-liter batch dropped from 120 minutes to 65 minutes—a 46% reduction. This enabled the company to increase its monthly production volume by 35%, easily meeting the demand from a new order for bridge coatings in 2023.
- Lower Maintenance Costs: The hydraulic system’s wear-resistant design significantly reduced breakdowns. Monthly repair fees fell from
800, saving the company approximately $26,400 in maintenance costs within the first year. Additionally, the device’s hydraulic components required only quarterly inspections, compared to the weekly checks needed for the old mechanical emulsifier, freeing up staff time for other tasks.
- More Consistent Coating Quality: The stable pressure output of the hydraulic system ensured uniform mixing of resin and pigment. Before, 8-10% of batches had uneven color or texture, requiring rework. After adopting the new emulsifier, this rate dropped to less than 2%, reducing material waste by 18% and improving customer satisfaction (as no coating batches were rejected by the bridge project client).
Feedback
“The hydraulic emulsifier solved our biggest production headaches,” said the company’s production manager. “We no longer lose time to breakdowns or uneven mixing, and the cost savings have been a huge boost for our small business. It’s reliable, handles our thick coating mixtures easily, and has made our production line much more efficient. We wish we’d switched sooner.”
Ihre Nachricht muss zwischen 20 und 3.000 Zeichen enthalten!