In the GALATEK company an important factor contributing to maximum satisfaction of customers’ specific needs is continual technical development of products which involves new progressive technologies, cost reduction and minimization of impacts on the environment. Two years ago the Board of Directors and management of the company decided to significantly improve the process. The efforts resulted in establishment of a research and development workplace in the joint-stock company GALATEK a.s., which represents an investment of ca. 27 million CZK, while the company succeeded in obtaining a subsidy from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation (OPEI), specifically Potential – Call III. The research and development workplace is equipped with the latest technologies which will make it possible to perform innovations significantly faster and to focus more intensely on prediction of technological development and trends in the industry. The management expects that the company will be able to extend its supplier opportunities, not only on the domestic market but particularly on markets abroad.
The workplace includes progressive technologies of surface pre-treatment, such as flaming, snow blasting (cryosnow) or ionization. The workplace is equipped with two robots for application of paint coats and hardening with UV lamps. Drying of applied layers is also possible by means of a conventional method. The workplace is equipped with a number of application devices for all types of paints, including UV varnishes. In order to simulate continual or tact operation the workplace is provided with overhead and floor power-free conveyors that use several methods to rotate suspensions. The workplace also has a laboratory as its integral part, equipped with necessary instruments to verify basic parameters of the completed surface treatments.
The research and development workplace focuses on verification of new progressive technologies. One of such technologies is the continually growing application of UV varnishes. Advantages of UV varnishes are obvious: fast hardening, economic efficiency, repaint recycling, high occupational safety, high quality, coat hardness and durability, low or non-existent VOC emissions and, last but not least, possibility to clean the equipment without VOC. UV varnishes have been widely used, particularly in the automotive industry, but their potential application has been increasingly considered also in other industries. This application is also investigated by our research a development workplace, which is beyond doubt exceptional in terms of equipment available for those technologies. Naturally, the workplace is not limited only to research of UV varnish applications but it examines all types of paint materials.
The technological equipment and facilities of the research and development workplace offer the following services:
- testing of new paint systems with a focus on environmental friendly solutions,
- application of new paint systems on specific products with the maximum size 2 x 1x 1.2 m on various types of base materials,
- tests of various progressive pre-treatment methods – snow blasting (cryosnow), flaming, ionization,
- tests of various application methods for all types of paints – automatic application by a spraying robot or manual application,
- hardening of applied coats by conventional methods or UV lamps,
- time optimization and practical testing of paint application on specific products,
- optimization and practical testing of suspension technology for individual parts,
- improvement of qualification of expert workers in the field of surface finishing, training of the operating personnel in painting shops, including programming of ABB robots.
The research and development workplace also includes a laboratory which enables to prepare paint system samples by conventional methods and UV hardening with nitrogen, as well as inspection and measuring processes:
- inspection of properties of paints and varnishes – determination of density and viscosity,
- checking cleanliness of the base material, surface tension measurement, approximate roughness measurement (comparator),
- measurement of wet layer thickness,
- measurement of dry layer thickness (non-destructive and destructive),
- check of drying,
- cross-cut adhesion test,
- cylindrical bend test,
- Wolff- Wilborn test,
- USB microscope.
We believe that the main objective of the newly established research and development workplace, i.e. significant improvement of fulfilment of customers’ specific needs and acceleration of the innovation process, will be achieved and that each of you will be able to choose from the above list the right service to increase quality and to save costs of your surface finishes.
Contact us
Ing. Jan drápela
Director of D&R centre VaV pracoviště
Tel.: +420 569 714 254
Mobil: +420 602 171 566
E-mail: jdrapela@galatek.cz
jiří ďoubal
Research and development worker
Tel.: +420 569 714 292
Mobil: +420 739 124 334
E-mail: jdoubal@galatek.cz
Stanislav Dvořák, DiS.
Development Programmer
Tel.: +420 569 714 216
Mobil: +420 607 604 762
E-mail: sdvorak@galatek.cz