ROLLER COATING

Using the roller method, all types of lacquer can be applied on two-dimensional work-pieces as long as their viscosity is suitable. The thickness of the lacquer film to be applied can be determined by means of a finely adjustable doctor roller.
By this method minimal quantities of lacquer up to over 100 g/sqm can be applied without lacquer wastage. With extremely simple machine setting, this technique allows lacquering work to be carried out at high feed speeds and with solvent-free UV lacquering systems.

Direct roller coater

This machine is used for single stain application, reaction primer and also for conventional and UV-sealers and topcoats. The most basic model incorporates a common drive system for throughfeed, application and doctor roller. Modern machines are equipped with up to 3 separate variable speed drive systems, with facility for switching the doctor roller to reverse rotation for extremely fine application of the topcoats (differential roller coater). The rubber coating of the application rollers is adapted to the relevant application technique.

Two head combination coater

This machine, in widespread use throughout Italy permits the application of large amounts of base coat with excellent results. The second application roller which works in reverse rotation applies the larger quantity of material on the front edge and flattens the thickly spread film smoothly. Thanks to a special device, the built up of material on the front edge is avoided. When the "reverse" unit is switched off, this universal machine can be used to carry out all the application work which is possible on the differential roller coater.

Twin-head roller coater

The coating can be only slightly thicker than with the single head roller coater. The rotating speed on the second application roller can be adjusted slightly faster or more slowly than the first application roller to achieve a flattening effect for a higher quality finish.

Reverse filling machine

This machine is for filling of raw particle boards, MDF or other panel using water-based or UV-curable fillers. After the roll-coating process, a chromium-plated steel roller rotating in reverse direction presses the filler into the pores of the substrate, creating a smooth effect at the same time.

Combined roll staining machine

This technique is used for applying stains onto veneered surfaces. This machine operates according to the following principle: - the surface of the workpiece is cleaned properly by a special brush, removing any adhering sanding dust (wich is an essential precondition to perfect staining), - the stain is applied by a rubber roller, whose surface is adapted to the type of stain used (for example, sponge roller or soft rubber roller), - one or more brushes ensure an even wiping effect for optimum penetration of the stain into the pores of the wood and removing the surplus stain from the surface.

CURTAIN COATING Using the curtain coating method, all types of finishing materials with low or medium viscosity can be applied on flat workpieces with straight or slightly rounded edges (without paying special attention to the workpiece thickness). The finishing material quantity to be applied, with a lower limit of ca. 50 g/mq (2 mill wet film) is determined by opening and closing the coating head aperture and changing the feed rate of the workpiece. Curtain coating machines are available with one or more coating units, wich can be quickly exchanged for a new finish type or colour.

	Panels for furniture Hb/mdf panels Parquet flooring Doors Edge coating Veneer coating Adhesive spraying  Assembled furniture, chairs

	Material in coils Flat panels, sheets, panels, doors... Spraying plants for 3-D pieces

	Flat glasses

	Lens, reflector, bumpers, motor gaskets

	Marble, tiles, cork, pans, helmets, caschi, Stainless steel in coils

SURFACE SPRAYING This is the usual method for the automatic application of stains, sealers and topcoats onto flat and surface-profiled workpieces with simultaneous finishing on the edges. This system allows all workpieces shapes to be coated, although at a moderate feed speed (max. about 25 feet per minute), with low solid contents (wich can, however, be increased by hot spraying) and with some waste of material. Surface spraying machine This spray guns move either in a carousel rotation or in a straight line crosswide to the direction of feed. The number of guns in the machine is dependent on: - the required application quantity, - the required feed speed, - the shape of the workpieces, - the necessity to apply different finishing materials separately. If, for example, staining and coating is being carried out using a rotary technique, a number of the spray guns can be used for applying the stain, and the rest for applying the sealer of topcoat. Spraying robots This machine, in widespread use throughout Italy permits the application of large amounts of base coat with excellent results. The second application roller which works in reverse rotation applies the larger quantity of material on the front edge and flattens the thickly spread film smoothly. Thanks to a special device, the built up of material on the front edge is avoided. When the "reverse" unit is switched off, this universal machine can be used to carry out all the application work which is possible on the differential roller coater. Stain wiping The stain wiping machine is placed after the stain spraying machine and used for processing profiled workpieces. Two rotating wiping brushes arranged diagonally to the feed direction distribute tha stain evenly over the surface.

3D FINISHING LINES This is the usual method for the automatic application of stains, sealers and topcoats onto flat and surface-profiled workpieces with simultaneous finishing on the edges. This system allows all workpieces shapes to be coated, although at a moderate feed speed (max. about 25 feet per minute), with low solid contents (wich can, however, be increased by hot spraying) and with some waste of material. Surface spraying machine This spray guns move either in a carousel rotation or in a straight line crosswide to the direction of feed. The number of guns in the machine is dependent on: - the required application quantity, - the required feed speed, - the shape of the workpieces, - the necessity to apply different finishing materials separately. If, for example, staining and coating is being carried out using a rotary technique, a number of the spray guns can be used for applying the stain, and the rest for applying the sealer of topcoat. This machine, in widespread use throughout Italy permits the application of large amounts of base coat with excellent results. The second application roller which works in reverse rotation applies the larger quantity of material on the front edge and flattens the thickly spread film smoothly. Thanks to a special device, the built up of material on the front edge is avoided. When the "reverse" unit is switched off, this universal machine can be used to carry out all the application work which is possible on the differential roller coater.

UV CURING UNIT UV-curable materials are hardened in seconds on flat and surface profiled workpieces by means of highly intensive UV radiation. The unit has only a minimal space requirement and permits high feed speeds. It can be equipped with several UV units. The number of UV units is determined by the feed speed and the type of finishing material used. Specially design reflectors concentrate the radiation in the vertical area of approximately 6 inches with almost undiminished strenght. This allows workpieces of different thicknesses to be easily hardened without height adjustment on the lamp. In case of feed-stop, the reflectors swivel automatically upwards to avoid surface damage to the workpiece. The UV-curing technique has extraordinary advantages: - Environmentally harmless. The coating material used contains no or only minimal quantities of organic solvents, - Savings in material costs. Even small quantities of applied finishing material achieve ample surface effects, - High resistance to chemical and mechanical wear.   UV modules are used for a diverse range of applications. Modules with the following radiations lenghts are available 12 inch = 300 mm 24 inch = 600 mm 32 inch = 800 mm 42 inch = 1.000 mm 55 inch = 1.400 mm 64 inch = 1.600 mm 77 inch = 1.600 mm 86 inch = 1.950 mm

DRYING UNIT The drying units described are mounted on all standardized Superfici conveyors. Thanks to their modular construction, all these units can easily be interchangeable and are expandable. Jet air dryer This is used for drying stains, fillers and other finishes. A very rapid flash-off solvent (also water) is achieved by a high velocity and high temperature of the air. Infrared dryer This type of dryer is used primarily for drying water stains, fillers and varnishes in throughfeed operation. The drying process involves high energy consumption and exposes the workpiece surface to considerable heating. Particular care should therefore, be taken when workpiece edges glued with hot melt adhesives.

BELT PALLET DRYER mod. "CONTIVERT" Vertical dryers and multi-level dryers have been used for many years for hot air drying of finished furniture parts and doors. This system eliminates the enourmous space requirements when using drying tunnels in the single level method, while achieving long drying periods with relatively high feed speeds. However, all the vertical drying system systems involve certain disadvantages which limit their application. The discontinuity in the work flow caused by the loading and discharging process, for example, has to be compensated by acceleration and decelaration processes. In addition, the drying cycle cannot be adjusted to meet the requirements of the finishing material used. In 1985 Superfici has developed (and applied for patent) a new concept of multidaylight dryer. The Contivert belt pallet dryer has all the advantages of the flat dryer, while requiring only a minimum of space of energy. Belt pallets arranged one on top of the other ensure restricted air flow guidance, with speed and temperature of the air flow adapted to the drying cycle and the finishing material used. Designed for every production setup Due to its modular design, the Contivert ca be adapted to fit in any existing or future lay-out. - 5 overall height and 4 overall lenght dimension to choose from. - Any required number of belt pallets, from 6 (1-chambre version) to 100 pallets (4-chambre version). - Workpiece transportation to the infeed either straight or U-shaped in accordance with the material flow as shown in the pictures (also available mirrorinverted). - Different belt pallet spacing available.

Saves energy The compact Contivert system has its own separate flash-off, heating and cooling zones with forced ventilation circuit and heating zones operating on the recycled air principle, meaning: - minimal drying times and - extremely low energy requirement. High level of protection to workpieces The Contivert belt pallets allow: - finishing of even the smallest workpieces - full surface contact of workpieces without any of markings underneath - reliable workpiece transportation without damage caused by slipping.

HANDLING Superfici handling equipment is the result of many years of experience in automated lines and complete furniture plant engineering. They are used as a connecting link between the individual machines of a finishing system or for supporting any UV or IR type of drying or curing units. The modular construction makes this an extremely flexible system, allowing conversion or extension within extremely short periods. Belt conveyors Particularly designed for transport small workpieces. If special belts are used, these conveyors can also operate under UV or infrared lamps. Roller conveyors Are available with straight or diagonally arranged rollers in single or double row. Cross bar conveyors Used for transporting workpieces under UV, IR or any other drying and cooling unit. Cross transfer device This unit is used when complete workpiece batches must be transferred from one roller conveyor to anhoter running parallel in the opposite direction. Feeding and stacking units These are required for automatic batch feeding and unloading of the workpieces. Suction cups ensure a harmless transportation of the workpieces between stack and conveyor. Rotary turnover unit This unit turns complete batches for finishing to the opposite side. The workpieces fed into the system are clamped between the powered roller tracks arranged on both sides, turned over 180° as a complete batch and then transported.

SANDING, BRUSHING AND DENIBBING Automatic cross sanding machine The head of the finishing line is usually the most appropriate position for the necessary sanding work. The most frequently used machine for wood sanding is currently the automatic cross and wide belt sander. The first unit sands in the cross direction, usually followed by two or, for high feed speeds, three or four wide belt sanding units, optionally using contact rollers or sanding pads. Sealer sanding machine After the sealer, the surface is sanded and prepared smoothly for the topcoat. The sanding process is carried out with wide belt units either using soft rubber coated contact rollers or electronically controlled sanding pads. For close-pore surfaces, the sealer sanding machine should preferably be equipped with two sanding units. Double-sided brushing machine If workpieces are fed into the finishing unit already sanded, it is advisable to use this machine to ensure complete, pore-deep cleaning of the surfaces. Profile surface denibbing machine This machine is used for wood and lacquer sanding of profiled workpieces (max. profile depth 35 mm) and for lateral workpiece shaped edges.

APPLICATION ON WORKPIECE EDGES Workpiece edges can be finished using any of 4 different methods, all of wich have advantages and disadvantages. Before planning a complete finishing line, these aspects should be carefully considered, one against the other. Simultaneous spraying of surfaces and edges In the case of workpieces with profiled surfaces, surface and edge are finished simultaneously by a spraying machine. For flat parts this technique should be avoided due to the material losses incurrend during spraying and to the low feed speeds necessary. Spraying edges in the stack Before surface finishing the workpieces are stacked with all edges positioned flush on a trolley or a floor conveyor, and then coated in a spraying cabin. The advantage of this method is that the subsequent surface handling process can be carried out in multiple lane throughfeed. Treating edges in the finishing line Large workpieces such as doors, wich are conveyed through the unit in single row, can have their edges coated in the finishing line using a special spray machine for edges. Coating of edges with an edge finishing machine In the case, the workpieces are treated on separate single or double-sided machines in the throughfeed operation optionally with any of the following application mathods: - Stain application and drying, - Application of UV sealer and curing with UV lamps, - Sealer sanding, - Top coat application and drying or UV-curing. This machine can also be used for filling raw edges on particle board panels and MDF.   CALIBRATION OF PANEL MATERIALS No matter what material they are made of, only perfectly calibrated panels guarantee a perfect roll coated finishing. Sandwichboard panels The core construction, consisting of a wooden frame with honeycomb core is covered on both sides with plywood, hardboard or particleboard. Each of the three layers have thickness tolerances which, added together, need calibration before further processing. Panels with solid wood edge materials Particle or coreboard with solid wood edges calibration prior to pressing the thin veneer layer on the surfaces. Chipboard panels In a few countries, raw particleboard panels are already calibrated by the supplier. However, in most countries this is not the case, and, for good finishing results, calibration is necessary. Calibrating machine For these three types of substrate, calibration is a definitive must whether the panels are being veneered or finished immediately. Only with a precisely calibrated workpiece: - A perfect veneer sanding finish can be achieved, - An even finishing material application is guaranteed, - A perfect wood and sealer sanding can be achieved. In addition, the application of only low finishing material quantities permits considerable material savings. The Superfici calibrating machine is often positioned at the head of the veneering line directly in front of the glue spreading machine (see sketch).

THE RIGHT WIDTH The working width of the finishing line is determined by a series of factors: - The dimensions of the workpieces to be processed, - The required production capacity, - The application technique used (the curtain coating or roller methods permit higher feed speeds than spraying), - The drying time for the used finishing material. The most frequent working width: 1300 mm (52") Forniture is intended to be used in the service of man and must, therefore, be dimensioned accordingly. Parts can be run in several rows on a loading width of 1300 mm (52"): usually furniture sides, shelves and doors are finished in double row, backs in single row and drawer fronts in four or five rows. The narrowest working width: 300 mm (12") This version is used for: - Mouldings and rails, - Surface treated edging veneers, which is finished in rolls before being cut-to-size, - Small parts, such as drawer sides and backs which are throughfed in double row. Laboratory units for finishing materials are usually in this width measurement. Working width 600 - 800 mm (24" - 32") This is the width dimension most usefully applied for surface treating of e.g. furniture doors (which undergo an edge finishing process at the same time), assembled frames and parquet. Working width 1800 mm (70") The width dimension is used in furniture production for high quantity production requirements, or for finishing of panels prior to the cut-to-size process. Working width 2200 mm (87") This loading width is ideally suited for finishing doors positioned crosswise, and also panel materials.