Grounding the line—Keeping hooks clean
For most companies, it’s out with the old and in with the new. At this manufacturing plant though, its old hook-cleaning system was so efficient that it installed another system—a computerized model that makes troubleshooting a breeze.
Running three shifts per day and powder coating 600,000 square feet of products per week, Rubbermaid’s plant in Jackson, Mo., needs to remove the powder coating that builds up on hooks quickly and easily. The hooks are an integral part of the powder coating system and carry the products through the entire line. Excessive buildup prevents good electrical contact between the hook and the conveyer, preventing the line from grounding properly and affecting the capability of the powder coating to bond with metal. Powder coating falls to the bottom of the booth rather than adhering to parts, wasting powder. As the buildup on the hooks get bigger, a larger amount of coating bonds to them, also wasting powder.