Alcom’s production revolution: powder coating 9 metre-long profiles and sheets in one vertical plant

A new vertical powder coating system developed by Euroimpianti marked a turning point for Alcom Alluminio. Designed to coat both profiles up to 9,200 mm in length and sheets within the same cycle, it guarantees high-quality finishes, greater application flexibility, and increased productivity. This solution meets the requirements of increasingly ambitious architectural projects, with dimensions and layouts that call for cutting-edge solutions to ensure short lead times, while reinforcing the company’s commitment to environmentally sustainable processes, thanks to a closed-loop solution for heat recovery in the ovens in line with Industry 5.0 principles.

Aluminium has long been one of the most popular materials in modern architecture, thanks to its lightness, corrosion resistance, and aesthetic versatility properties. Its related industry is thus constantly developing, driven by the growing demand for sustainable and long-lasting solutions for residential and commercial buildings. From doors and windows to curtain walls, pergolas, and outdoor structures, aluminium profiles are ideal for combining design and technical performance. However, the evolution of contemporary architecture is making it increasingly necessary to integrate profiles with sheets used as a structural or aesthetic complement. That poses new challenges in terms of surface finishing, regarding both productivity and colour matching issues. As vertical powder coating systems are typically designed to treat profiles with an average length between 7,000 and 8,000 mm, many companies end up finishing sheets separately with different processes and systems, which lengthens production times and increases operating costs. Alcom Alluminio, an Italian firm with extensive experience in manufacturing and marketing aluminium profiles and sheets, has always focused on innovation to expand its offer and respond to the needs of a constantly evolving market efficiently and promptly. Its latest investment in this area was precisely for a new vertical powder coating system from Euroimpianti (Valeggio sul Mincio, Verona) that marks a turning point for the sector because it coats not only extra-long aluminium profiles – up to 9,200 mm, well beyond the market standard – but also sheets. This was an unprecedented engineering challenge for Euroimpianti, which also developed an innovative solution to recirculate heat within the ovens and the pre-treatment tunnel in a closed loop, thus saving energy and meeting the sustainability criteria of the Industry 5.0 paradigm. Coating both product types in the same plant with an integrated production cycle is a strategic solution for optimising efficiency, quality, and delivery times, thanks also to the possibility of using the line’s two diamond shaped booths simultaneously to apply dark and light colours at the same time or one after the other to apply a powder-on-powder system. With this new plant, more efficient and productive yet highly flexible, Alcom Alluminio has strengthened its position as a benchmark supplier, offering an even more competitive service, shorter delivery lead times, and reliable solutions to meet the growing demands of the metal architecture and industry sectors.

The evolution of Alcom Alluminio: from a retailer to an all-round frame manufacturer

Founded in 1985 in Castel Mella (Brescia, Italy), Alcom Alluminio initially specialised in marketing aluminium profiles for window and door frames. Soon, however, it evolved into a full-fledged frame manufacturer with its own horizontal powder coating line. In the following years, it also entered new markets to face the global economic crisis, introducing the sublimation process for wood-like and tactile effects and specialising in profiles for industrial applications. This strategy proved successful, and since then, Alcom has continued to expand its range of services. In 2021, it also began offering anodic oxidation processes with a plant capable of handling parts up to 14 metres in length – a further breakthrough that opened up many new channels previously untapped. “The crisis in the construction market prompted us to explore new sectors using profiles. 2025 began with the start-up of a plant that enables us to specialise even more in the manufacture and finishing of extra-long profiles up to 9,200 millimetres. To increase production speed without sacrificing operational flexibility or having to use two separate lines, we decided to replace our horizontal coating system with a new vertical one that powder-coats not only extra-long bars but also sheets, thus further differentiating us from the market standard. Today, Alcom Alluminio is a leader in the production and marketing of QUALICOAT and QUALIDECO-certified profiles and sheets for doors and windows, façades, and industrial applications,” illustrates Luca Crescini, the company’s owner. “We embody the modernity and efficiency of the most refined aluminium systems, with finishes suitable for all climatic zones and any cutting-edge architectural project, also in terms of acoustic and thermal insulation and even in contexts where safety on escape routes and noise reduction are essential, such as schools, hospitals, and airports. At the same time, our products meet the most stringent legal requirements regarding energy efficiency. Through careful research on materials and the implementation of technical innovations developed through our long-standing experience in direct contact with professionals in the sector, we manufacture and market highly versatile systems with a perfect balance between lightness and sturdiness. Finally, we can offer multiple aesthetic variations thanks to our innovative automatic systems for surface treatments, which ensure perfect result repeatability, reduced lead times, and low costs.”

Triple aces! Anodic oxidation, sublimation, and powder coating on extra-long parts

In its 21,000-m² production plant, which features a warehouse for storing profiles and sheets in various sizes and colours, Alcom Alluminio receives the raw materials from its suppliers, extruded using moulds developed inhouse by the company. After the thermal cutting operations, the products are subjected to finishing in three innovative systems. The fully automatic anodic oxidation plant consists of tanks suitable for simultaneously treating bars of different lengths, reducing processing times by grouping batches; it allows anodising several short profiles axially mounted on the load bars, 2 long profiles up to 7 metres, or individual bars up to 14 metres. In order to meet the demand for wood-effect finishes, Alcom Alluminio can also perform post-coating sublimation on aluminium profiles, arches, and flat sheets with a maximum dimension of 7,000 x 1,600 mm. Finally, to offer its customers a complete service, the company now uses the new vertical powder coating system supplied by Euroimpianti to treat both profiles with a maximum size of 9,200 x 500 mm and sheets up to 1,500 x 4,000 mm.

Double capacity and maximum efficiency: Alcom’s tailor-made coating system

The new plant, therefore, enables Alcom to powder coat with one process both aluminium profiles and sheets, which can be used as frames for doors and windows or as cladding for façades. To facilitate loading operations, Euroimpianti has structured the line to accommodate a first loading bay for bars and a second area with a platform for the automatic loading of sheets. The monorail overhead conveyor then takes the load bars inside the hybrid spray + cascading pre-treatment tunnel performing alkaline degreasing, two rinsing stages, acid degreasing, two further rinses, a rinse with recirculated demineralised water and one with pure demineralised water, and passivation with Henkel’s PNR. Subsequently, the components are taken to the drying oven. This is connected to the curing one: this special, compact layout, together with a device recovering the heat emitted by the cooling bars, reduces the energy consumption required to heat the ovens and their resulting emissions while eliminating any risk of contamination, as the two ovens have separate inlets and outlets to prevent colour contamination among different batches despite the air flow being stronger to retain the heat inside the unit.

Euroimpianti has also installed two Diamond coating booths in a clean room equipped with a new generation Gema OptiCenter® All-in-One OC10 powder centre featuring a Smart Inline Technology dense-phase feeding system. These two booths can be used simultaneously to apply lighter colours in one and darker hues in the second or one after the other to treat products that require a double, powder-on-powder system to ensure greater penetration into very deep cavities and optimal film distension even on special geometries. The plant is also ready to accommodate a gelling IR oven between the two booths in the future. At the end of the process, between coating cycles, a laser paint stripping system cleans the hanging hooks without the use of chemicals.

Diamond coating booths

“What distinguishes our Diamond application booth is precisely its diamond-like shape: thanks to the perfect symmetry of its components, the four opposing reciprocators, the special angular spray guns, and the linear path of the conveyor, it is possible to paint profiles and sheets with any shape and cross-section with maximum performance and at high speed rates but without sacrificing operational flexibility. The dispensing guns can be used in opposing mode to make the most of the electrostatic energy for a higher yield or in alternating mode to improve paint penetration on complex geometries,” explains Nicola Del Grande, project manager at Euroimpianti.

Laser paint stripping

The laser paint stripping system, equipped with a suction unit, eliminates residual paint on the hooks used to transport the profiles during the coating phase, thus always guaranteeing proper grounding of the parts to be coated. The machine uses 2 high-power, water-cooled CO₂ laser sources and 2 optical scanning heads to paint strip the hooks while in motion. Its one-body structure encloses the laser head and the work area, making the system intrinsically safe. “Laser paint stripping has many advantages: it can remove any type of paint without using chemicals such as solvents and other materials to be disposed of, also avoiding the risk of altering the metal substrates,” continues Del Grande. “The paint stripping station also allows setting the laser parameters directly on board the machine, and the ablation effect can be adjusted using its control panel.”

The innovative closed-loop oven heat recovery system

“We requested a new powder coating system that could treat extra-long profiles – to attract new customers – but also sheets – to provide a complete and efficient service in a short time – while, at the same time, being in line with the Industry 5.0 paradigms in terms of sustainability,” notes Crescini. Euroimpianti, therefore, implemented numerous solutions aimed at minimising gas and electricity consumption and the waste of thermal energy: the cascading cleaning process in the pre-treatment tunnel takes place with a low-pressure system, the tanks are insulated, and the ovens are hermetically sealed to prevent heat from escaping and maintain a stable internal temperature. Moreover, the system features an innovative heat recovery solution that optimises energy consumption. The drying oven’s burner only switches on when the system starts up. Then, the temperature is maintained through the heat recovered from the cooling station after the curing oven, where the bars can reach 180 °C. In turn, the heat generated by the bars exiting the drying oven is reused to feed the pre-treatment tanks, thus creating a closed system. “This was another challenge we overcame successfully. Our heat recovery solution has dramatically reduced our gas and electricity consumption and eliminated the need for a boiler linked to the pre-treatment tunnel, thus reducing our environmental impact and emissions,” indicates Crescini. “Each technological choice has been carefully planned in collaboration with Euroimpianti to ensure maximum efficiency on such a unique system.”

A successfully overcome plant engineering challenge

“Every vertical plant designed by us is configured and customised according to the number of aluminium profiles to be coated and the special requirements posed by the material’s flow within each specific production process. The main challenge we faced while designing this line, the first in Italy capable of handling components of this size, was developing a handling system that would allow for the easy movement of profiles and sheets but also increase hanging density as much as possible to optimise production,” says Guido Bergamini, Euroimpianti’s R&D Manager. With this in mind, the switch system of the monorail conveyor streamlines the parts’ distribution between the two booths and speeds up the application of two coats of paint. At the same time, the different loading and unloading areas for profiles and sheets optimise logistics and reduce operator intervention. “This obviously also called for a safety system suitable for handling components with different sizes and shapes and of considerable length. Finally, the double cleaning method for the degreasing stage was specifically requested by Alcom to comply with the QUALICOAT and QUALIDECO standards: spray application ensures deep penetration even on profiles with complex geometries with more intensive mechanical action, whereas the cascading cleaning operation treats the entire length of the vertically-hung profiles evenly, also removing any pick-up marks and thus avoiding downstream brushing operations that could slow down productivity,” adds Del Grande.

Gema application technologies

Like all the other technologies in its series, the OptiCenter All-in-One OC10 powder centre combines electrostatics and powder feeding technology in a single, very compact device whose design has been further streamlined by removing gun control modules. That allows for easy integration of the powder centre into any plant layout. The special construction of its sieve maximises the vibrations generated by the ultrasound, ensuring very high sieving performance. The OptiSpeeder tank optimally fluidises the powder. The closed-loop powder circuit is controlled automatically, providing a clean work environment and increased efficiency. Finally, the Smart Inline Technology system allows dispensing a variable quantity of powder based on each task’s actual needs, guaranteeing exceptional coating quality with considerable savings. This technology uses a single-channel circuit for a more homogeneous powder flow and better spray pattern management. That ensures the highest finishing quality for all types of powder, including the most challenging ones, such as metallic products.

Halved paint consumption

The system has been operational since 20 January 2025. Alcom Alluminio has already experienced significant benefits, including improved environmental sustainability and productivity but also decreased energy and paint consumption, with the latter being halved. “Colour changes are now much faster, the operators’ tasks have been simplified, and the automated conveyor belts handle the heavy loads. We are absolutely pleased. We knew it would be a very challenging project, as this is one of the few vertical plants in all of Europe capable of coating 9,200-mm profiles as well as sheet metal. However, Euroimpianti immediately reassured us about the feasibility of installing such a cutting-edge system even within our existing factory hall, and its team was extremely open to listening to all our needs and recommending the most suitable technologies to meet our productivity, flexibility, and sustainability requirements. Furthermore, when we visited Euroimpianti’s headquarters in Valeggio sul Mincio, we saw first-hand its workshop and the cutting-edge tools it would use to produce our system, as well as its warehouse with spare parts ready for service: this is an aspect that is sometimes underestimated but to which we attach great importance. Finally, we chose Gema’s application technologies because we were already using them on our previous system, and we were well aware of their high quality and the reliability of this company’s technical assistance,” concludes Crescini.