KTM-2000: a new line of anodizing of aluminium profiles

Modern production complex of anodizing of aluminum profiles was built by the company «KTM-2000» in record period — only for 9 months. The opening of the manufacture took place on the 1st of March in Logoysk. A new robotized manufacture of anodizing allows not only to minimize the participation of person in the process, but also to decrease the expenditures on the electric power — the project can be justly called the power-efficient production of the new generation.

Gregorio OSHMIANSKY, deputy director of JV “KTM-2000” Ltd and manager of the project “Anodizing”, told us about the know-how of a new manufacture.

 

— Grigorio, «KTM-2000» for a long time and steadily occupies leading positions on the market of the construction materials of Belarus. What was the economic expediency of such rapid opening of own manufacture of anodizing of aluminium profiles?

 

— It is known that from the 1^st of January 2010 in connection with creation of Customs Union the new custom duties on aluminum profile came into force. If earlier custom duty was 20% from the custom value, by new rules duty in monye terms became not less than 4 Euro per kilogram. So while importing raw aluminium duties increased in 6.5 (!) times, and anodized — in 3.7 times. Such sharp jump of the prices factually closed border for aluminium products. This gave a powerful impetus to the development of our own production facilities of processing aluminium in borders of the Customs Union. And if many enterprises were engaged in extrusion of aluminum profiles, modern manufactures of anodizing can be counted on fingers of one hand.

It was urgently necessary to fill "gap" of missing high-quality processed aluminum – and it is about 20 thousand tons per year. And we are one of the first who managed to launch not simply the line of anodizing of profiles, but modern robotized manufacture with high quality control.

 

— Extrusion of profile is process not difficult. Galvanics is a different story. This is not within the pocket of everyone to construct the line of anodizing of the cost of several million Euro…

 

— It's so. We invested in construction in Logoysk more than one million Euro having applied on our manufacture all latest technologies in the field of galvanic coverings of aluminum alloys. These investments allowed us to install the modern equipment from Germany, Italy and Sweden. Technological processes were provided by German experts.

 

— Power supply is the most significant and besides expensive component in any galvanic production. How did you solve this problem?

 

— Having analysed offers on the market, we stopped our choice on the Swedish producer. This producer is one of the first who applied technology of high-frequency transformation in the galvanic equipment. Thanks to this technology tension of electric network rectifies, and then this current with higher frequency passes throug the ferritic transformer. Transformation of the tension at such high frequency allows rectifiers to be very compact – approximately 4 times less in volume and weight, than thiristor rectifiers with similar outgoing parameters.

Moreover, they possess also such indisputable advantages like:

• a low pulsation (2 % in all diapason);

• diversity;

• simultaneous simplicity of control;

• the standard power module fits to all variants of rectifiers regardless of their size. Our operator can easily change it – there is no need to wait for specialized technical support;

• flexibility foresees practically any situations on production – so, if it is necessary to increase productivity or capacity, the rectifier can be upgrated with additional modules, while implementation of new process modules can be united into groups for obtaining tension of 60 volts.

 

— Any process of galvanics demands also serious treatment facilities …

 

— Surely, and it is ideally to recieve closed cycle of treatment. The newest system of sewage treatment installed by us gives the possibility to process, clear and reuse completely water in technology of anodic coverings. And the purpose for us is to save our main property – the ecosystem of the Logoysk green zone. …

 

— Your production is automatic manufacture. Participation of the person in the process is minimized, but it is known that even the cleverest equipment must be controled by not less prepared applicant who should constantly check quality indicators, obey adequate level of labour organization …

 

— We anticipated this at the initial stage of preparation of the business plan of this manufacture. Therefore we constantly were keeping in touch with specialists of the Belarusian state technological university.

Moreover, before launching of the line our employees received training abroad, the company management completed training in the Federal union REFA-Bundesverband (Germany) which is the leading German organization in the field of the industrial organization, development of the companies and the labour management.

Advanced laboratory for quality control of technological processes is created in our organization.

 

— Work on galvanic productions is considered to be harmful, sometimes even hazardous to the health of the employees. What steps were taken by you in this direction?

 

Certainly, it is very important question. Therefore we pay special attention to conditions of work, labor protection and accident prevention of our specialists.

Yes, actually full process of manufacture doesn't demand presence of a person – 3 robots get along the line moving profiles to galvanic baths. But nevertheless this is still work with chemical reagents. Therefore, for example, eye wash station with automatic water supply was delivered to our production from Italy.

 

— Your new project can be named as «power-efficient production». Which technologies have you used during reconstruction of the building of the plant?

 

— We minimized heat losses of the building using heater system and ventilation with rekuperation of heat and automatic control of parameters. Special thermal pumps are installed on the production lines which evolve huge quantity of heat. They allow to direct forming surpluses of heat on the heating of the building during winter period or on other technological needs of the production. For illumination of the production areas the modern energy saving lamps are used.

As a whole, the heat-insulation of the front of a building allows to save annually near 8.4 leters of fuel (on the basis of 1 sq.m. of the area). Application of these technologies leads to the reduction of emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere — the economy of 1 leter of fuel reduces emission of greenhouse gases on 2.8 kg of CO2, at efficiency of the use of fuel at the level of 95 %.

 

— The technical aspect of manufacturing process management is really impressive. But consumers are usually interested in ready production: which length of profile is maximum for anodizing?

 

— 3 meters is the maximum length. Galvanic baths of the length of 3,5 meters are installed in our manufacture. What is the advantage of such size? On large plants the standard length of the baths is generally 6-7 meters. But small sizes of the baths and specially projected system of changing of colourants allow to change rapidly solutions in baths and to work with the widest color scale.

Our production is mobile and ready to react on the demands of our consumers immediately.

 

— In what colours it is possible to anodize the profiles in your line?

 

— At the initial stage anodizing it is planned to anodize in 4 primary colors – gold, silver, bronze and champagne. Further, we are planning to launch several absolutely new and original colours about which it is very difficult to speek beforehand.

Besides, if our customers need individual colours, we are ready to fulfil every order in the shortest terms, because in the field of color we don’t have any restrictions.

Further we will start production of profiles with a texturized surface.

 

Whether you are going to receive any international certificates of quality?

 

By the way, used by us german technology and chemical components will allow us to receive the certificate of "QualAnod" recognized all over the world — the international quality mark of anodic covering of the metals used in architectural construction.

 

Who are the potential customers of your production?

 

— I think that besides our main sales markets (profiles for elaborating of buildings), the producers of the furniture industry and all those who can use light anodized profiles in their production for various needs can become our partners.

Strong, corrosion proof, good looking anodized profiles can be used for creation of furniture, stained-glass panels, windows, doors, partitions, thresholds, advertizing constructions and others. Our profiles will find application in general construction sphere, in facing of cars and even in shipbuilding. So the sphere of application is very wide.

 

— … and what about the geography of deliveries? What plans do you have in this direction?

 

—  Initially our production is focused on satisfaction of requirements of the market of the Customs Union and Common Free Market Zone, and as a whole the countries of the former USSR. But if we are more interested in the east vector of sale, our western partners have already became interested in our production. After all for those foreign companies, who operate on the markets of CFMZ countries, we can become the most convenient partner in the part of placement of orders and logistics. So we are open and ready for cooperation on 100 %!

 

Author: Irina Briluk. Building newspaper. 2012, April, 4.