Solvent Coating Plant

On the fast track: solvent coating plant expansion and on-call services

Short production schedules and tight timelines are common in the world of manufacturing, where every moment of downtime can directly impact financial performance. In the case of this solvent coating plant expansion, the project was performed on a fast-track schedule with component packages being designed and released for purchasing and construction, accelerating the process to meet the client’s schedule.

Built at an existing automotive filter manufacturing plant, the expansion supports a new solvent based paper coating process and incorporates a new coating line facility (including a control room, quality control lab, break room, and visitor lobby); chemical mixing facility; heat recovery equipment; chemical tank farm and tote storage facility; warehouse addition; truck unloading facility; new access roads; and exterior paved storage and maneuvering areas.

The paper coating process line feed consists of paper rolls transported by forklifts from the existing paper machine winder to the new coating line. The paper is fed to an unwind station to the new process coating line. At the end of the new coating line, rolls are rewound and transferred by forklift back to a slitter, which is housed in the expanded warehouse area. High speed, fabric roll-up doors are used at fork truck entrances to protect the facility’s interior environment, and provisions were made for both transfer operations to be automated as the new line increases in load. Other facilities are provided to support the chemical needs of the process line. The new process was designed to significantly decrease solid and atmospheric wastes. The large storage quantities of flammable solvents and blending activities are protected with blast walls, explosion venting, LEL monitoring, and AFFF suppression.

Our team was responsible for integration of the entire process system, including OEM control systems for unwinders, coater, tank farm recipe kitchen, corrugation, ovens, RTO, cooling section, rewinder, slitter, and associated process components. Since the completion of this significant expansion in 2003, Clark Nexsen has continued to provide on-call services, support, and various minor additions and upgrades.

SIZE  85,800 SF  /  COST  $17,000,000

Contact

Robert Carlton
Industrial Market Leader
478.314.1239
Email Robert