Leyland Trucks – Non-stick coating solutions for a British automotive industry legend

It’s always a pleasure to work with companies who’ve stood the test of time in their industry. Especially those who have shaped the manufacturing history of the UK and even overseas. Our long standing client, Leyland Trucks, fits that bill perfectly.

Leyland has been a staple and respected member of the automotive industry since it formed under Leyland Motors in 1896.

Evolving over the years, they have faced both triumphs and hardships and are still going strong and representing a Great British automotive legacy under the name Leyland Trucks Ltd.

Earlier this year, Phil, Leyland’s Senior Maintenance Engineer, reached out to us as they needed our expertise and custom non-stick coatings for the refurbishment of their paint shop extraction fans. They had previously used our services in 2013 so knew we could help.

The extraction fans are vital in the paint shops as an continuous stream of trucks get painted in these booths. When these booths are operating, they leave behind paint residue and other airborne materials that could negatively affect the following trucks on the production line. These fans are designed solely to help keep the excess airborne particles out of the booths so that each truck painted has a high quality finish.

Another negative impact of this paint build-up means regular cleaning of the excess paint, which increases the downtime of the line and slows truck production. Which for a high profile manufacturer is a big problem.

Phil needed a solution, and we had the perfect tried and trusted coating for the job. Our PR245W two coat non-stick coating system was selected due to its excellent non-stick properties and chemical resistance, especially when used in paint booth environments. An additional benefit to this coating is its longevity. Other coatings have an expected life span of around two years, whereas it was a full eight years since this coating was applied and needed a refresh.

Without wasting any time, we took delivery of the extraction fans, and our team got to work.

The fans were stripped down to their original steel material in preparation for coating application. Firstly they were placed in our on-site pyrolysis oven. This thermal cleaning process gets rid of all residues, including the old coating, and any dirt is also vapourised due to the extremely high temperatures.

Next was the grit-blasting process which provides an optimal surface for the initial primer to stick to before the final coating was applied and stove dried at 380°C.

The fans were in and out of our shop in no time and on their way back home to Leyland.

Phil at Leyland Trucks Ltd was more than satisfied with the finished product.

Thanks to the release properties of the coating, the fans can now be easily wiped down during their scheduled cleaning. In the long term, this will reduce downtime and save money in repairing or replacing these extraction fans.

If you have a refurbishment project in need of a non-stick coating solution, contact our sales team today to see how we could help you.