Fixture design for powder coating process

&improving ergonomical aspects

Dharmendra Yadav
Student D.J.Shanghvi
College of Engineering &
Technology Mumbai
(Production)
dharmendrayadav0246@gmail.com
Abstract— Powder coating department of plant constituted many types of fixtures which is used for hanging the product for its powder
coating operation. There are two powder coating units where powder coating is done. One is a semi-automatic and another one is a
manual. Initially there was a Fixture for tunnel light in semi-automatic unit which can hang 5 work pieces at a time. Due to high demand
for the tunnel light we faced problem of increasing production of tunnel light with same time consumption. It was one of a major problem
in powder coating department because of which affected assembly time. Unavailability of powder coated tunnel light casting can effect the
production of that product. To Increase the powder coating production we have to design new fixture which can powder coat more work
pieces because we have a limited resources. We thoroughly analyzed the fixture for designing the new fixture. Then got an idea that we can
utilize the horizontal space to increase the production of the tunnel light casting. We have designed the fixture so that we can place 6
casting on a single fixture, Earlier we can put only 5 casting on the fixture. We also provided a curve at the ends of the rods so that casting
cannot fall in the oven when heated air is thrown on the casting. Because of this fixture our production is increased by 20% without any
extra labor cost. To meet the customer demand we have to increase the production capacity of the manual powder coating unit also. In
manual powder coating unit we first clean the casting in the first stage then cleaned casting is picked by a worker and placed on the fixture
with help of a hook. After that that casting is painted by the help of powder spray. Then it is again picked by a worker with help of hook
and placed on to the rod which is going to be placed on the trolley which will go inside the oven. This operation was not very effective
because in this process many times workers becomes ideal when other worker is working. In new process workers first clean the casting
then it is placed on the fixture with the help of a hook. In this new fixture 7 castings can be painted. Fixture is shown in the picture. This
will increase productivity by more than 50%. This will help us to meeting the customer demand and increasing or production with same
and manpower and within same time. Improving ergonomical aspects of the organization so that workers can feel safe and have less
fatigue during working hours which will increase the production capacity of organization. Ergonomics is improved by preparing socket
for testing, providing table to short heighted painter and placing tools at the right place so that worker can easily access it.

Keywords— Air Pressure Gun, Power Coating, Production Engineering

I.INTRODUCTION
Introduction to Evergreen Engineering Co. Pvt. Ltd. Evergreen Group of Companies who have been in the General lighting
and Electrical goods manufacturing business for more than 5 decades, manufacturing a wide range of Lighting and Switchgear
Products for large multi-national companies. The Group has a very high level of backward integration in its manufacturing
facilities including Captive Pressure Die Casting, Powder Coating Sheet Metal, Fabrication, Electronic assemblies for LED
Drivers etc.
Evergreen Engineering Co. Pvt. Ltd. has been in the business of manufacturing high quality electronic products under the
brand name “ENSAVE” for nearly two decades now. It has recently made a foray into the world of LED Lighting as well, and has
introduced a range of superior quality LED solutions to suit a wide range of applications. Sleek looks, innovative designs, cutting
edge technologies – these are what you get when you buy any Evergreen products!
ENSAVE, a brand of the Evergreen Group of companies, has been a leading LED luminaire manufacturer in India and
engaged in lighting solutions for the complete urban space and beyond. Futuristic, energy efficient and custom-built LED lighting
products are our hallmark across various applications such as offices, industrial, street lighting, large stadium lighting for sports
and outdoor landscape lighting. We also are one of the major lighting partners for the Indian Railways with our coach lighting, and
LED head lighting and fog lighting applications.
ENSAVE, represents the simplest and most reliable path to customized and sustainable lighting solutions. All our products are
designed to actually deliver to you our brand promise - LED FROM THE FRONT! The company has an LED lighting lab that
designs and manufacturers its own LED Driver Power Supply, a critical component for reliable LED Lighting Fixtures. Evergreen
uses LEDs only from very renowned LED manufacturers like Philips Lumileds, Nichia, Samsung and Osram. It has over the years
developed special relationships with these world class high tech LED manufacturing companies to ensure supply and availability
of the critical state-of-the-art technology components.
Evergreen products meet several of the National and International standards and plans are being implemented to ensure that
they conform to all the latest standards for domestic and international markets. Evergreen uses the latest engineering design
methodologies and manufacturing processes to ensure that all its products conform or exceed the stated product specifications.[1]

II.LITERATURE SURVEY
Pre-Processes carried out on Light Fitting Parts Raw material in form of sheet metal and metal billets is converted in different
parts of the light fitting. These parts are further fabricated into sub – assemblies. These sub – assemblies are then assembled
to form the final light fitting. The light fittings are generally segregated two types which are sheet metal type and cast type.
The fabrication and manufacturing processes that are carried out are:

For Sheet Metal Components

1. Shearing 2. Punching 3. Bending 4. Deep Drawing 5. Trimming 6. Lancing 7. Notching 8. Spot welding 9. Tungsten Inert
Gas (TIG) Welding.
For Casted Components:
1) Grinding
2) Drilling
3) Tapping
All the fabricated components are then powder coated. The powder coating process is explained below in detail.
Powder Coating
Why Powder Coating?
• As per specification provided by the Ministry of Railways for Energy Efficient LED based luminaires, all the luminaires
need to be manufactured of 1mm thick steel sheets.
• At Evergreen Engineering, all sheet metal type railway luminaires are made of CRCA (Cold Rolled Closed Annealed) steel
sheets.
• Mild Steel material is known for its tendency of going under rapid oxidation when exposed to atmosphere bare. The result
of oxidation is the formation of oxide layer on the surface which we commonly call as ‘RUST’.
• Powder Coat provides a long-lasting, economical, and durable finish with a range of colour options available for nearly any
type of metal. In addition, a powder coated surface will be more resistant against scratches, chipping, wear, and fading
compared to other type of finishes. There is nearly an unlimited selection of colours, including, glossy, high-gloss, flat,
fluorescent, candies, clear, hammer toned, iridescent, glitter and wrinkle which are available. The colour will remain vibrant
and bright much longer than other finishes too.
• Not only powder coating provides a good finish, but it is also better for the environment as compared to liquid paints as it
does not release volatile organic compounds.
• A powder coat also provides a film that gives electrical resistance i.e. even if there is a leakage current, the person will not
get a shock if he touches the light fitting.
• That is why the specifications provided by the Ministry of Railways states that all its luminaires must be powder coated by
the shade IFB white.
• They also use RL7032 powder for customers other than railways such as Panasonic.
Conveyorized Powder Coating System
Cleaning
As it is mentioned above, that all the parts of the luminaire need to be powder coated, it is an important step to pre-treat the
component for good powder coating finish.
The pre – treatment process
It is a seven tank or a three tank process depending upon the base metal.
Seven (or eight) stage treatment for zinc/iron phosphate include following stages:
a) Degreasing b) Water rinse c) De – rusting d) Water rinse e) Phosphating: This forms coating of zinc phosphate (4 to 6
microns) OR iron phosphate (1 to 1.5 microns) on the clean surface of M.S. f) Water rinse g) Passivation: This will seal the
pores of phosphating

Drying of Components
The components that are dipped into water baths need to be completely dried as water on surface while powder coating
causes defects in the coating. Hence, it is mandatory to dry the components before they are sent further for powder coating.
As drying is a time consuming process, the company has invested in a dedicated oven that would dry the components quickly.
Cleaning with Air Blower
After the components are dried in the oven, they are transferred to the powder coating section. There, it is a good practice to
blow air on the components before they are hung on the hook. It ensures that there are no dusts particles on the components
that may have fallen while transportation or while inside oven.
Setting of Air Pressure in Gun
The powder is sprayed on the components with help of air. The air helps the powder to flow inside the pipes and the gun. Air
helps to throw the powder at the component or else the powder would just fall down at the exit of the gun. At Evergreen
Engineering, air pressure of 0.5 bar is considered optimum for good flow rate of powder.
Setting of Powder Discharge in Gun
The powder discharge setting is an important parameter to consider. If the powder discharge is too high, the thickness of the
coat would increase and if the flow is reduced then there are chances of forming under - coverage. The optimum setting used
at Evergreen in order to ensure that optimum dry film thickness of the powder coat for powder discharge is 3.6 kg/cm².
Setting of oven Temperature
Powder manufacturer provides the ideal temperature at which the powder will bake and give the best surface finish and
colour. If the temperature is too high, then the shade of the coating would change and if the temperature would be low then
the powder may not set properly and the mechanical properties would be compromised.
 Setting of Conveyor speed
The powder manufacturer also specifies the time for which the powder coated component should be baked for. Again, if it is
baked for longer time then, the shade of the colour would change and if for shorter time, the coat would not be strong.
Setting Electrostatic Voltage of Gun
The powder gets attracted to the component as the powder is released from the gun nozzle. This is because the gun provides a
negative charge to the powder. As the component is grounded, it would complete the circuit as the powder would make
contact with the component. The recommended value for electrostatic voltage of gun for ease of powder coating is in the
range of 80 – 100 kV.
Rectifying the bill of material as per luminaire

There were instances that, in the bill of material of a light fitting,certain components are not mentioned that will be utilized in the
assembly. This affects the ERP system of the company, as the material shown in ERP as in stock would actually be out of stock as
that material would have been used. The ERP system helps to keep track of the material in store which helps in planning for future
orders. Hence, while validating the light fitting as per bill of material, if I find a correction or if a part is not mentioned in the bill, I
would notify my training officer to make amendments in the bill of material from his log in into the ERP system

III.PROPOSED SYSTEM

• Taking dimensions of the product

• Calculating the required size of fixture
Step

• Deciding the material of fixture.

Step 222
• Deciding the number of products can be coated.

• Calculating Gas consumption

Step 3
• Calculating labor required

• Calculating life expectancy of the fixture

Step 4 • Make fixture according to dimensions

• Calculate the cost saving and profitability.

• Train operators
Step 5

Figure 1: Flow-Chart for making new fixture for powder coating

Powder coating process

Powder coating is a dry finishing process that has become extremely popular since its introduction in North America over in the
1960s. Representing over 15% of the total industrial finishing market, powder is used on wide array of products including in die-
casting LED lighting fixtures. More and more companies specify powder coatings for a high-quality, durable finish, allowing for
maximized production, improved efficiencies, and simplified environmental compliance. Used as functional (protective) and
decorative finishes, powder coatings are available in an almost limitless range of colors and textures, and technological
advancements have resulted in excellent performance properties. Normally Moonlight will choose the following colors for the LED
light housings: Gray, Black, White, and Dark Bronze.

How Powder Coating Works?

The powder sticks to the die-casting parts of LED light housing fixtures due to electrostatic charging of the powder and grounding
of the die-casting parts of LED light housings. The powder and that can be electrically grounded to enhance charged particle
attachment. The powder flows and cures.
Advantages of powder coating
• Powder recovery for reuse
• No VOC generation therefore no VOC destruction required
• Can be more durable than paint(powder chemistry dependent)

Disadvantage of powder coating

• Can have less levelling than paint (more orange peel)
• Curling is typically more energy intensive than paint drying due to higher temperature requirement
• Surface preparation before powder coat application is still critical for adhesion and defect avoidance.

Steps in a Powder Coating Process for Die-casting LED light Housing :

• Cleaning (typically an alkaline cleaner for the substrate of aluminum alloy die-casting parts of LED light housings.)
• Rinsing the die-casting parts of LED lighting fixtures. Photosttaning the die-casting parts of LED lighting
fixtures.(Optional step to improve corrosion protection and adhesion)
• Drying the die-casting parts of LED lighting fixtures.
• Powder Coating the d e-casting parts of LED lighting fixtures.
• Curing the die-casting parts of LED lighting fixtures. (Typically energy intensive since relatively high temperatures are
required to get the powder to liquefy and flow)
• After these process, the whole process of powder coating for LED lighting fixtures are ready.

Powder used per square meter:

• A single repeating component of standard Tunnel Light housing will be powdered coated the whole day.
• At the end of the day, it was concluded that 35 kg of powder was used to coat 440 units.
• Powder consumed per housing = 35/440 = 0.0795 kg / housing = 80 grams / housing
• The calculated surface area of the housing that was powder coated was: Ah = 418739.1 mm² = 0.418739 m²
• Powder consumption rate = (Powder consumed per housing) / ( Surface Area of housing Powder Coated)
• = 80 gms 0.418739 m² = 191.05 gm/ m² = 191 gm/ m²

Gas consumed per square meter:

The setting time of powder to obtain optimum results is 15 minutes at 200oC.It is important that the temperature of the oven,
throughout its volume is maintained at the specified temperature. The conveyor system installed at Evergreen Engineering, works on
a closed loop system. It manipulates the gas supply to the burners, conveyor speed and the air blower speed. The system alerts the
operator with a siren if the gas supply has stopped. For the system to work uninterruptedly it is important that the burners are
supplied continuously with gas. At the gas plant of Evergreen Engineering, 10 L.P.G. tanks of 33 kg each are connected to the
burners of the oven.

Electricity used for process per square meter:

Electricity consumption reading was very difficult to observe because there is no provision for that.so that we considered electricity
consumption as a constant while calculating the Profitability increased by this new fixture of powder coating for tunnel light
component.

Time consumption per piece:

In new fixture there can 6 products can be powder coated at a time whereas in old fixture only 5 work pieces can be powder coated
at a time. Because of this new fixture time consumption for per piece is reduced by 20%.
Figure 2:

Figure 3:
For calculating total area powder coated per kg of gas consumed: -
No. of cylinders= 10
Capacity of each cylinder= 33 kg
Total area powder coated= 892.25 m².Therefore, gas consumed per square meter of area powder coated
=
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐶𝑜𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑
𝑇
T𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐺𝑎𝑠
= 892.25/ 33×10
= 2.70 m² / kg

For calculating cost of gas consumed per square meter:

No.of cylinders used = 10

Rate of each cylinder = 2258.98
Total area powder coated = 892.25 m²

Cost of gas consumed per square meter = 2258.98 ×10 892.25 = 25.31 / m²

Electricity used for process per square meter:

Electricity consumption reading was very difficult to observe because there is no provision for that.so that we
considered electricity consumption as a constant while calculating the Profitability increased by this new fixture
of powder coating for tunnel light component.
Time consumption per piece:
In new fixture there can 6 products can be powder coated at a time whereas in old fixture only 5 work pieces can
be powder coated at a time. Because of this new fixture time consumption for per piece is reduced by 20%.
Production of tunnel light using old fixture:
Table 1:Production of tunnel light using old fixture:

Date Time Taken Quantity

17/2/2021 for min
90 Prduction 302
18/2/2021 140 min 470
19/2/2021 185 min 615
20/2/2021 60 min 202
22/2/2021 120 401
23/2/2021 82 274
24/2/2021 190 633
Total 867 min 2897

Production in 1 min = Total production/Total time taken =2897/867 =3.34 pieces/min

.
Table2: Production of tunnel light using new fixture

Date Time taken for Quantity

production
1/3/2021 120 479

2/3/2021 150 600

3/3/2021 190 762

4/3/2021 155 618

5/3/2021 80 321

6/3/2021 225 902

8/3/2021 200 801

9/3/2021 100 398

10/3/2021 90 357

11/3/2021 170 681

Total 1480 5919

Production in 1 min = Total production/Total time taken =5919/1480 =4 pieces/min

Percentage Increase in production = .67*100/3.33 =20%

IV.CONCLUSION
Working at Evergreen Engineering Co. Pvt. Ltd. has been a wonderful experience. The company has the capacity for
manufacturing huge variety and range of LED light fittings that have indoor and outdoor applications. Each and every light fitting
is unique in its own self. Each light fitting has different processes for assembling and different components that are required for
assembling. Managing the components and the processes is a huge task.
Fixture for Powder coating:
Following are the benefits observed after implementation of fixture for powder coating system: -
Improved productivity of worker.
• Time reduction per piece
• Production rate is improved
• Ideal time gets reduced
• 20% cost saving in converised powder coating unit
• 50% cost saving in manual powder coating unit
• Oven heat is also utilized

Implementation of ergonomics
Following are the benefits observed after implementation of Ergonomics in system: -
• Improves Health
People who work in ergonomic workplaces have improved health. It typically starts within the cardiovascular system and spreads
to other areas. Your heart will be healthier than it would be if you were working in a standard environment.
• Improved Mental Insight
Workers feel comfortable, they can focus better on the task at hand. Ergonomics decreases pain, strengthens muscles, and
increases blood flow. Combined, this improves mental insight.
• Higher Productivity Levels
The better focused employees are, the high level of productivity they can have. Ergonomics combine different ideas to make
workstations feel more natural. These lead to increased productivity because they’ll be more comfortable and focused. Because of
this reasons production got increased.
• Decreased Pains
Ergonomics is meant to make things feel more natural and safe. Due to this changes, workers body will be less strained and there
health will improve. These combined will lead to decreased pain.
• Higher Quality Work
The benefits of ergonomic workspaces range from the body to the quality of work. Aches, pains, fatigue, and other problems can
take a toll on a worker. Ergonomics eliminated those issues and help workers work.
• Eliminates Hazards
Part of creating a more productive work environment is eliminating the daily hazards that can hurt our employees. These
distractions are unsafe and can lead to worse consequences later. Paid attention and removed hazards exist.
 • Encourages Safety
Ergonomics will create a safer work environment and increase awareness. Will remove hazards, improve workstations for less
discomfort, and teach our employees to update their spaces with safety in mind.

V.REFERENCE
Websites:
[1] http://ensavedevices.com/
[2]https://ergo-plus.com/workplace-ergonomics-benefits/
[3]https://www.thechecker.net/stories/blog/the-importance-of-ergonomics-in-the-workplace
[4]https://www.led-light-housing.com/blog/standard-process-powder-coating-led-lighthousing-fixtures.html
[5]https://ehs.unc.edu/workplace-safety/ergonomics/
[6]https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/ten-criteria-choosing-right-materialsmedical-device-design/
[7]https://www.chemicool.com/definition/electrical_resistance.html
[8] Powdergun.com.(2019).[online]Available at:
http://www.powdergun.com/pdf/PRETREATMENT%20FOR%20POWDER%20COATING

Book:

User's Guide to Powder Coating 4th Edition by Nicholas Liberto