Page 40 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine July-August 2022

Spray booths
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ThermoFlo offers complete paint shop solutions including designing the workshop area and assisting with production flow.
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PAINT&PANEL JULY / AUGUST 2022
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THERMOFLO’S ANSWER TO EV REFINISHING
THERMOFLO’S MANAGING DIRECTOR GOVINDA HU IS GOING ELECTRIC BOTH AT HOME AND IN THE WORKSHOP.
can reduce cycle time and increase pro- ductivity. Since 2014, ThermoFLO's team have been developing two systems - the RapidCure-IR electric infrared drying sys- tem and the RapidCAT-IR catalytic gas in- frared system. The company also has a third technology, the RapidCure-UV LED ultraviolet curing system which is coming to market soon.
Alongside these technological devel- opments, the team has built multiple rapid refinishing centres which combine features such as side loading rails, sec- tional doors, centralised vacuum and sanding systems along with ThermoF- LO's deluxe spray booth equipment.
During the pandemic, the ThermoFLO team has been hard at work setting up cutting-edge multi-purpose collision centres in both Australia and New Zea- land. The latest achievement is a new 2000m2 refinishing workshop in Whangarei, New Zealand. ThermoFLO's RapidCAT-IR multi-zone gas catalytic in- frared arch is the centre of attraction of the whole workshop. The infrared full arch system is producing a huge in- crease in workshop efficiency, drying panels in just over a minute.
ThermoFLO's RapidCAT-IR and Rapid- Cure-IR infrared systems can be de- signed to fit into all types of preparatory bays and spray booths and will help you to repair more cars in less time.
RAVEL IS A NECESSITY FOR
supporting our customers and business. The opportunity to save on fuel expenses and reduce emis- sions simultaneously has made buying an EV our family's latest focus,” Hu said.
“Talking with the EV salespeople, I real- ised that probably half of the vehicles in Australia will be electric in the next 5–10 years.”
The main concern for respraying elec- tric vehicles is protecting the batteries. Although maximum drying tempera- tures for high-voltage batteries vary among car manufacturers, in general they warn against overheating the batter- ies. For example one statement specifies that baking temperatures for electric and hybrid vehicles should not exceed 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. Since baking temper- atures in a conventional spray booth are typically close to, or exceed these num-
bers, the cautious approach of using an extended cure time and lower tempera- ture is typically recommended. However increasing the bake time significantly slows down workshop output. The alter- native is using Infrared technology.
The RapidCure-UV LED
ultraviolet curing system is coming to market soon.”
When using ThermoFLO's RapidCAT-IR and RapidCure-IR systems, temperatures on the exterior of the vehicle may reach 90 degrees, but the interior of the vehicle will not exceed 38 degrees, thus the bat- tery remains well within safety limits.
ThermoFLO supplies two types of IR drying technology – electric and gas. Both