The manufacturing facilities for Stellar, the triple award-winning aluminium window and door system from Epwin Window Systems, offer state-of-the-art production at every level. Clare O’Hara, Managing Director at Epwin Window Systems, said: “Stellar sets a new standard for the aluminium industry and this starts from our in-house UK production facilities.”
The new powder coating plant is the perfect example of the quality and forward-thinking set-up of the production facilities in which systems are automatically monitored to ensure conformance to plant quality parameters.
The latest technology is used in its pre-treatment system, which is already chrome-free, ahead of legislative requirements. Clare commented: “Legislation coming into effect in September 2021 bans the use of hexavalent chrome pre-treatments because of the environmental damage they cause. Having already invested in a chrome-free system, we’re already ahead of the curve and able to maintain our track record of commitment to the environment.”
The fully-automated production facilities were designed from an exacting brief to ensure consistent quality at every level. Clare said: “We worked closely with our machinery manufacturers as quality and consistency is vitally important and we’ve considered it at every stage. They have more than delivered and we are delighted with the results.”
Quality is further enhanced with the short cycle times from pre-treatment to powder booth that lowers the risk of contamination and handling damage. The plant also features a fully automatic quick change powder booth with advanced product detection and automatic gun adjustment, so it does not use manual spraying processes or suffer from the associated quality variation. The product recipe input delivers consistent and repeatable coating quality for an additional level of reliability.
The impressive facilities incorporate the first fully-automated thermal break, gasket and packaging line. In an industry-first, the combined automated line delivers all three functions seamlessly and efficiently.
As you would expect from a multi award-winning business, Stellar leads the way in manufacturing excellence at every level. Clare concluded: “When you have raised the bar in aluminium system design, you have to make sure your production facilities reach the same standard. With Stellar, they do.”
