Sheffield based Welbilt invests in a new automated world class coating facility from GEMA UK

Welbilt, also known as Merrychef, is an award-winning, global leader in the manufacture and supply of professional catering equipment. Their products are able to meet the needs and demands of even the busiest kitchen and front of house environments, Welbilt manufactures several top brands including, Merrychef, Convotherm, Crem, Manitowoc Ice, Frymaster, Lincoln and Garland, all of which will be familiar to most within the industry.

The investment: Welbilt had previously subcontracted all their powder coating to third party suppliers, however brining this operation inhouse delivered multiple benefits to their business, from inventory management through to quality control, and the decision was taken to invest. After a comprehensive review of the cost and benefits of an inhouse facility, several suppliers were evaluated and the decision was taken to vertically integrate this process within their Sheffield based manufacturing facility.

Welbilt’s team carried out a detailed market evaluation of several powder coating equipment manufacturers assessed on powder application performance, product quality, reliability and after-sales support. Welbilt took the opportunity to visit one of the many successful GEMA installations in the UK and spoke with our clients to gain insight into how our equipment performs and how we respond to customer issues and provided security and confidence.

To support the decision-making GEMA engaged with Welbilt’s team to ensure that the most suitable technology was selected. With no prior powder coating experience on the site there were several key aspects for consideration during the system design to meet Welbilt’s needs, and provide the best return on investment;

1) High degree of Automation

2) First class product finish quality

3) Considerations to energy efficiency

4) Simplification of operation

The production line is a continuous loop conveyor, once loaded the parts convey through the process, initially the pre-treatment washes the components and chemically treats the substrate ahead of the powder application process. The GEMA booth system incorporates four reciprocating auto guns that deposit an average 80 micron coating evenly onto the product surface for the perfect results. The advanced technologies from Gema incorporated into the Welbilt installation include:

Component recognition and automatic gun triggering for 1.25m high x 300mm wide parts

PCC, precise charge control, for optimum powder application

Quick colour change using the OpriCentre OC06 advanced features of the All-in-One control system

Industry 4.0 MagicControl HMI system which stores and recalls programs

Magic Booth with EquiFlow for superior airflow, cleanliness and minimum clean down times

The Magic Compact booth features advanced EquiFlow extraction technology; this ensures a consistent airflow in the automatic coating zone as well as optimal powder extraction around the manual touch-up stations. Powder is prevented from escaping into the atmosphere to give a clean working environment with reduced risk of contamination. The plastic structure is combined with an extraction system that is calculated to suit the production requirements, this prevents powder build up in the booth. Perfect coating