The system’s control panel is based on an Allen Bradley PLC and has an easy-to-use operator interface with a color touch-screen panel.

A couple of years ago, one of the largest manufacturers of military vehicles in the U.S. faced changing its chemical agent resistant coating (CARC) system. Like many other finishing operations at the time, the company was using a one-component (1K) solvent-based coating. To meet new military standards for more environmentally responsible coatings with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the company switched to a three-component (3K) water-based CARC primer and Type I topcoat, both supplied by Sherwin-Williams. Besides lowering the company’s environmental impact, the new coating system also provided a longer coating life, lasting two to three times longer than the solvent-based system before requiring a recoat.

It was a win-win situation — except for one remaining challenge. The company needed to find new meter-mix equipment that could handle the 3K CARC system accurately and reliably.

The company evaluated three different meter-mix systems from various suppliers. After a month of testing, the plant chose the Kremlin Cyclomix Expert™ 3K CARC electronic meter-mix equipment from EXEL North America, Livonia, MI.

The integrated system includes fluid delivery equipment, meter-mix equipment and application equipment, all designed specifically for 3K CARCs. The fluid delivery pumps deliver the base CARC material, moisture-sensitive (solvent-based) catalyst and the deionized (DI) water to the meter-mix system, which uses a dual-static mixer design to mix all three components thoroughly. The system’s control panel is based on an Allen Bradley PLC and has an easy-to-use operator interface with a color touch-screen panel. The system is approved for use with MIL-DTL 64159 Type I and Type II 3K waterborne CARCs.

According to the plant, the equipment provides substantial material savings compared to the other meter-mix systems that were evaluated by the company. It is both accurate and reliable, and it has limited the amount of downtime required for color changes.

The equipment has now been in production on three shifts per day for more than two years. Since starting up the initial system, the company has installed 12 more Kremlin 3K CARC meter-mix systems with specially designed fluid delivery and application equipment. The systems have helped the manufacturer green its operations without compromising on finish quality.


For more information, contact Kevin Higgins at 708.567.5304 or kevin.higgins@exel-na.com, or visit EXEL North America online at www.exel-na.com.