Innovative Power in the Coating Technology Industry: PaintExpo 2024 Hosts Numerous World and German Premieres

(Copyright: Leipziger Messe GmbH / Tom Schulze)

A large number of world, German and trade fair premieres will inspire visitors to PaintExpo from 9 to 12 April 2024 in Karlsruhe. Professionals from all areas of the coating technology industry including contract coating companies and in-house coating services can look forward to numerous forward-looking innovations. PaintExpo thus emphasises once again that it is the global showcase for industry trends and the most significant platform in the coating technology sector.

The products and services presented at PaintExpo 2024 cover the full range of industrial coating. As the world’s leading trade fair for industrial coating technology, PaintExpo unites coating solutions for all industrial sectors, applications and materials under one roof and covers everything from wet coating and powder coating to coil coating. Products and services on show at the trade fair range from surface treatment products, paints and paint systems to final quality assurance.

"Visitors travelling to PaintExpo in April can look forward to a wealth of cutting-edge innovations. The exhibitors will be demonstrating their innovative strength by unveiling many products for the first time anywhere in Germany or the world," reports Project Director Mariella Riedel. "Over the four days of the trade fair, visitors can also experience pragmatic solutions for increasing quality, resource-efficient production and digitalisation of their manufacturing processes live."

Exciting World Premieres in the Spotlight

Walther Trowal will be showcasing for the first time the new Rotamat R 100 designed for coating elastomer sealing components with bonded and decorative coatings. The latest addition to the Rotamat series can coat three times as many parts per batch as the next-largest system, the exhibitor reports. According to the company, one of the reasons why it developed the new machine is because several contract coaters were looking for ways to process greater numbers of large, flat seals in a single batch.

OptiSense is presenting its latest innovation for the first time. The PaintChecker Line and PaintChecker Angle laser sensors have been redesigned to eliminate the need for an additional housing bracket, thereby saving time during installation and simplifying assembly. According to OptiSense, its new generation of sensors can withstand even the harshest environments thanks to the robust industrial casing. The light source for the sensors is a diode laser, which brings with it the advantages of semiconductor technology such as a long service life, exceptional efficiency and full resistance to vibration.

Fast, Precise Automated Sprayers and Efficient System Technologies

Visitors to the trade fair can look forward to many more product launches and highlights. At the Krautzberger stand, they can find out all about the new DUO A 22, for example. This automated spray gun can be switched on and off quickly and precisely, producing a perfect spray pattern with low overspray and high material efficiency. As Krautzberger points out, these benefits are the result of a new preliminary and post-air control system together with innovative details, low weight and an advanced air nozzle system.

On the other hand, Heimer will be presenting its system technology that offers improved efficiency and less usage of resources. According to the manufacturer of paint application systems and industrial ventilation technology, the company has improved its combustion chambers to achieve firing efficiency levels of more than 93 per cent. Its air circulation technology in paint booths utilises rotary heat exchangers and attains heat recovery rates of more than 70 per cent. As Heimer points out, these results represent a significant increase in efficiency.

New Coatings Save Energy and Reduce Process Costs

Numerous new developments by paint manufacturers will be in the spotlight at PaintExpo 2024. In the machine tool, plant engineering, drive and conveyor technology sectors, for instance, demands on industrial coatings have risen sharply in terms of resistance and optics. At the same time, these types of coatings remain subject to economic considerations as customers look for the labour-saving benefits of one-coat paints and short drying times. To meet these needs, GEHOLIT+WIEMER has launched its new WIEREGEN-D133S-Struktur, a one-coat 2K PUR texture paint that is highly resistant to chemicals and scratches and has a uniform structure, ensuring that it looks extremely good while delivering reliable protection. The paint adheres to various types of surfaces and is applied in one step, saving energy and process costs, GEHOLIT+WIEMER explains.

At the FreiLacke stand, visitors can find out more about an improved paint formulation for agricultural machinery. By redesigning an ultra-high-solids system for agricultural machinery, the paint manufacturer has achieved significant reductions in emissions. The company has also optimised the paint structure, making it ideally suited for industrial products and construction equipment of all kinds. Both components – primer and topcoat – contain solvents and are based on a polyurethane/isocyanate-crosslinking polyacrylate resin, which serves as a binder. According to the company, the solvent-based primer offers considerable corrosion protection and adheres well to various surfaces, such as steel – including sandblasted steel or steel treated with iron phosphate – and stainless steel.

International Exhibitors Are Showcasing Numerous Innovations

PaintExpo has much to offer at an international level and the proportion of international exhibitors is currently at more than 40 per cent. These include the Polish company Ecoline who is attending the trade fair to provide information about a new robot-controlled powder coating system that uses a range of patented solutions and modern technologies including a modular robotic powder-coating booth. According to the exhibitor, the booth guarantees rapid powder removal thanks to its sandwich-like, layered wall structure. The absorption system consists of a connecting channel and a highly efficient cyclone.

The Swiss exhibitor coatmaster will be presenting the next generation of the coatmaster Flex, a mobile solution for non-contact coating-thickness measurements. The new feature of this instrument is its accelerated measuring speed. It can complete more than ten measurements in less than 20 seconds. According to the company, this could also optimise the measuring range and accuracy of the readings in both the upper and lower layer thickness range. But that is not all: Users of the coatmaster Flex can also benefit from the fact that the improvements were made entirely in the cloud, thus eliminating the need for manual intervention on the instrument itself.

Ticket Shop Open, Online Exhibitor and Product Directory Offers New Features

Visitors can now buy tickets to the trade fair from the online ticket shop on the PaintExpo website. The exhibitor and product directory, where visitors can search for company and product information before, during and after PaintExpo, is also online on the website.

Furthermore, visitors to the trade fair can look forward to some new additions. This year's PaintExpo will include special interest topics. With a focus on sustainability, careers and live experiences, this new category gives exhibiting companies the opportunity to select their relevant special-interest products and services and then present them accordingly in the exhibitor and product directory in the run-up to the trade fair. This enables visitors to use the digital supplement to specifically search these topics when choosing what to explore at PaintExpo in Karlsruhe.