“It is a privilege to work in the automotive industry, with its constant drive to improve! Safety is an important cornerstone, and corrosion protection is part of this. Our success is built around pre-empting customers’ requirements – and ensuring we are not a passenger in the process.  A real partnership is defined by taking the lead and adding real value and innovation in one’s service offering - rather than just following,” says Luca Smargiasso, Operations Director of Tier 1 automotive component supplier, Malben Engineering.

When it comes to e-coating and powder coating - critical corrosion protection processes - Malben’s standards are already significantly higher than its OEM customers’ requirements.

“Our state-of-the-art e-coating laboratory constantly analyses real-time data – and everything is managed via our design of experiments (DOE) methodology,” Smargiasso points out.

Investing in corrosion control

The coating of automotive components has evolved significantly since Malben launched in 1974.  The company started an in-house plating plant in 1997, and by 2001, had upgraded this facility, moving to an alkaline and iron-zinc electro-plating process. In 2005, Malben set up its e-coating and powder coating line.

“Over the last few years, we have enhanced our processes to improve our e-coating facility in line with our customers’ enhanced corrosion protection requirements. More and more vehicles are being exported to highly corrosive environments. For example, a vehicle going into the Northern Hemisphere is going to be operating in a very demanding, corrosive environment - given the weather and the salt spraying done on those roads in winter,” explains Smargiasso.

Mirriam Ratlhogo, Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Plant Manager at Malben, explains that e-coating, electro-plating and powder coating resist chipping, scratching and corrosion.

A step-change in corrosion testing

Smargiasso says Malben has invested in extensive in-house testing processes to access real-time data rather than waiting on third-party information: “This gives us a lot more flexibility. It enables us to analyse process improvement in short time frames, and implement these changes quickly – which is important in an evolving environment,” he adds.

Although more complex testing – such as cyclic corrosion tests – are outsourced, Malben’s fully equipped e-coating laboratory can do wet analysis, assess coating thickness, e-coat solids and determine electro-magnetic field process compliance with C2, C3 1P85 WSS standards. The salt spray chamber facilitates accelerated corrosion testing through continuous fogging. Manual tests include scratch and rub tests to ensure paint is properly cured.

“Batch size sampling is essential due to the high volumes of components coated. During every 9 hour shift, tests are conducted 5 times. By working to its own higher specifications and standards, Malben has ‘room to move’ and quickly implement any adjustments required,” Ratlhogo explains.

Above and beyond

Malben recently engaged with another supplier to advise on process improvements required to achieve OEM standards, says Quality Director, Werner Kapp: “They wanted to understand what we were doing differently, as we had passed the corrosion test with flying colours.

Further to this, during one of our scheduled cyclic corrosion tests last October, we requested a third-party laboratory to continue the testing for a further 5 weeks - despite having reached the stipulated 9 week cyclic corrosion test requirements. This demonstrates how Malben goes above and beyond to ensure corrosion protection excellence,” Kapp advises.

Technical precision                                                                   

According to Ratlhogo, the conveyor system running from pre-treatment through to the curing ovens is also integral to the coating excellence achieved: “The ‘closed loop’ conveyor system guarantees repeatability in key areas: from ensuring that no process is omitted, to achieving contact time repeatability - which is fundamental to quality – to optimising repeatable coverage with design of experiment-approved loading jigs to maintaining workflow and ergonomics,” she explains.

Head of Maintenance Quinten Ballot adds that attention to detail and careful monitoring sets the company apart and gives it a competitive edge: “On the e-coating side, everything is minutely monitored. What cannot be measured, cannot be managed. Even the burner in the curing oven has been upgraded. Now AI-enabled, it constantly learns from its environment - adjusting to ambient/seasonal temperature variances to optimise heating patterns and gas usage, without compromising on quality.

Thanks to ongoing investment not only in the e-coating facility and laboratory – but throughout the company – the lifting of the bar never stops!” Ballot concludes.