A Coatings World Q&A: WAB US Corp.

Q: What is the history and background of WAB GROUP^®?

Grskovic: Willy A. Bachofen founded the company 90 years ago in 1933 in Switzerland.  After a series of creative mechanical inventions in its first three decades to provide niche local industry solutions, “WAB” developed the TURBULA^® 3D Shaker Mixer to mechanize the Paul Schatz optimal mixing ‘oloid movement’ in the 1960s.  Following this innovation was the first DYNO^®-MILL horizontal agitator bead mill.  WAB process technology entered the US market in the early 1970s and quickly expanded around the world to every geography across six continents.  Today, WAB GROUP^® operates locally as ‘WAB US Corp’ in Allendale, NJ serving North America with proprietary process technology from R&D / Innovation Lab size all the way to full scale production.  The Allendale NJ team provides expertise in helping companies optimize their processes, develop new products, and find greener ways of working by reducing waste, lowering energy costs, and improving efficiency.

Q: In what key areas does WAB GROUP^® help support the coatings industry?

Grskovic: On the product side, WAB GROUP^® enables manufacturers to push key product performance attributes to new levels of (1) Protection, (2) Functionality, and (3) Individuality.  On the process side, we have shown manufacturers how to use less raw materials for a superior end product or how to reach final product performance targets in a more efficient way lowering current costs.  In some cases, these means converting to a new technology but many times it simply involves re-examining the current process and where improvements can be made.

Q: What paint & coatings products does WAB GROUP^® help to optimize?

Grskovic: WAB GROUP^® process technology supports a wide array of paints and coatings products – automotive painting, car refinishing, coil belt coatings, wood varnish, marine paints, packaging varnishing, textile coatings, powder coatings, façade and interior colors, and filler / primer.

Q: What resources does WAB GROUP^® have to help current and new customers?

Grskovic: Like many of its worldwide partner sites, WAB US Corp utilizes its Process Technology Center (or “PTC”) in Allendale NJ to experiment with customer materials. The PTC can operate independently, or the customer can choose to be present for the process trial work.  The PTC can support current products and how to optimize them or participate in the development of a new product.  The PTC will make recommendations based on analysis of results and utilizing the expertise of our headquarters in Switzerland based on decades of experience. 

Q: What is different about WAB GROUP^® versus another bead mill manufacturer?

Grskovic: There are several types of milling techniques and within wet milling several key machine manufacturers.  Unlike most, WAB GROUP^® is privately owned and operated and focuses solely on wet bead milling and mixing technology.  This distinct focus allows a large portion of company income and resources to be invested in supporting research and development of key innovations in wet bead milling and mixing technology.  WAB’s culture of reinvesting into the future ensures each generation of wet bead milling and mixing processes builds upon the prior generation and allows both new and current customers to make advances in their processes to advance their innovation and manufacturing efforts. 

Q: How does WAB GROUP^® strive to meet the demands of its customers?

Grskovic: First and foremost, WAB GROUP^® does not regard itself simply as a ‘machine manufacturer’ but rather a process technology expert and partner – an important distinction to understand our culture of reliable partnering with customers to form a collaboration relationship.  Before the sale can happen, WAB GROUP^® ensures that proper testing is done with customers’ materials in the Process Technology Center (at no cost to the customer) to select the right technology and the right process parameters.  Customers can then opt to rent a machine first before buying to ensure they are confident in their investment.  During and after the sale, WAB GROUP^® ensures that we have personnel on-site to support successful startup, training, acceptance certification, maintenance, and ongoing process efficiencies.  We support periodic service repairs and troubleshooting both in the field and at our North America headquarters in Allendale NJ.  Similarly, we support ongoing training at a customer’s location, via online support or at our facility – whatever makes the most sense for our customers.

Q: How does  WAB GROUP^® connect with customers in the industry?

Grskovic: WAB US Corp attends most of the largest trade shows in North America as does WAB GROUP^® globally.  In the coating’s world, WAB US Corp supports the Eastern Coatings Show, American Coatings Show and is a member of Metropolitan New York Coatings Association to name a few activities.  Outside of coatings, WAB GROUP^® connects with customer at trade shows and events in the pharmaceutical, agricultural chemical, food & beverage, battery materials, and cosmetics. For all markets, WAB GROUP^® utilizes online tools to present process technology solutions electronically and will then schedule in-person meeting for the convenience of customers.

Q: What is the biggest challenge for WAB GROUP^®?

Grskovic: WAB process technology is well-known among users of wet bead milling processes in various industries for reliability, efficiency, and consistency.  Customers sometimes do not wish to part ways with a machine even 50 years old because of these factors.  It is not uncommon to find customers still using WAB technology that was manufactured in the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s.  The “DYNO^®-MILL KD line that is still available today is no longer the only option.  WAB GROUP^® has expanded its wet bead milling product line to include DYNO^®-MILL ECM-AP and DYNO^®-MILL UBM.  These newer technologies can perform more efficiently in terms of higher throughput, less energy using a smaller chamber so there’s less waste liquid and less agitator beads lowering operating costs.  In these cases, we are sometimes ‘competing against ourselves’ in trying to show customers the financial and process benefits of moving to new process technologies.  The next challenge is awareness.  WAB US Corp is expanding its efforts to increase our brand recognition in North America with key industry trade publications. 

Q: What is the Vision of WAB GROUP^® and why is it so important?

Grskovic: Our vision is to be the leading global partner for process technology solutions. This means respecting changes in society, the environment and technology sustainably, consciously, and actively. For our customers, leading means being the most reliable and innovative partner. This will help us develop and deliver products and services for our partners to solve their tasks and challenges.  This is important because it shapes our culture and how we operate every day. Further, this supports our mission of turning our customers into market leaders. 

Product Specific Technology Information:

WAB GROUP^® COATINGS INDUSTRY
1. PROTECTION, FUNCTIONALITY, AND INDIVIDUALITY
2. LESS RAW MATERIALS FOR A SUPERIOR END PRODUCT
WAB GROUP^® process technology (via DYNO^®-MILL agitator bead mills and TURBULA^® 3D shaker mixers) enables the optimization of corrosion protection, shine, color strength, lotus effect or increasing wear resistance.

DYNO^®-MILL WET MILLING GRINDING & DISPERSION TECHNOLOGY
GROUNDBREAKING PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES FOR YOUR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY

• Automotive painting

Wet grinding technology plays a crucial role in meeting the high requirements in automotive paint production – allowing not only aesthetically pleasing but also meeting highly technical standards required for vehicle painting.
Whether clear coat, base coat, filler, or primer – WAB GROUP® agitator bead mills efficiently achieve fine particle sizes and particle distributions – for brilliant colors, long-lasting shine and flawless adhesion as well as scratch resistance for the ultimate vehicle aesthetics.

• Car refinishing

Coatings in auto repair must provide color accuracy, quick drying, and durability. Seamless integration, adhesion and environmental friendliness are also crucial. The coatings smooth out surface imperfections and are chemical resistant to ensure long-term protection.
WAB GROUP^® agitator bead mills help ensure that automotive repair coatings meet high quality standards and meet both aesthetic and functional requirements. The homogeneous distribution and grinding of the particles make efficient formulations and precise compositions possible.

• Coil belt coating

Coil coating involves the application of coatings to rolled metal strips, which are later processed into various products such as roofing panels, facade cladding, household appliances and more. The coating materials must not only provide a visually appealing surface, but also be resistant to corrosion, weather influences and mechanical stress.
WAB GROUP^® agitator bead mills enable precise control of the particle size and distribution of the coating materials. By shredding and dispersing the materials, a uniform layer thickness and quality of the coating is achieved.

• Wood varnish

The requirements for wood vary like no other paint application – there’s a world of difference between exterior painting and painting for children’s toys.
Exterior painting must primarily protect the wood from the effects of the weather. Aesthetic questions also play an important role: Should the wood grain be completely covered or is a certain degree of transparency desired?
By choosing the right grinding parameters, you can, for example, specifically control the gloss and transparency of the wood varnish. Depending on the choice of pigmentation, the particle distribution also increases UV resistance.
When formulating children’s toy paints, regulations drastically reduce the choice of ingredients. The focus is therefore on producing a paint that meets all legal requirements.

• Ship painting

Marine paints are specially developed coatings used on ships and maritime structures to provide resistance to corrosion, abrasion and impact, sea water, UV radiation, fresh and salt water, fuels and various chemicals, algae attack and temperature fluctuations.
In the marine paint industry, wet milling is used to incorporate pigments, fillers and other additives into liquid binders. This enables the creation of coatings with an even distribution of components and optimized performance.
In addition to the required chemical requirements, the surface properties are important: For example, the surface structure of the paint has a major influence on the frictional resistance of the ship’s surface when sailing through water. By wet grinding to finer grain sizes, the frictional resistance can be reduced – and the ship’s energy consumption can be reduced. It is therefore important that the surfaces remain as smooth as possible and free of algae and shellfish. This is achieved by adding so-called antifouling additives. 

• Textile coating

Textiles are coated for various reasons to improve their aesthetic, functional and protective properties. Through homogeneous comminution and dispersion with WAB GROUP^® agitator bead mills down to the nano range, we enable an even distribution of the coating on the textile fibers.

• Packaging varnishing

High-quality packaging coatings must meet a wide range of requirements: they protect against environmental influences, provide aesthetics, increase durability, and optimize the presentation of the product. Regardless of whether it is corrosion protection, brand identity or functionality, WAB GROUP^® agitator bead mills play a central role in developing the particle properties. 

• Powder coatings

Powder coating is an important process in surface coating technology. This approach is used to achieve a uniform and high-quality coating on various substrates. WAB GROUP® agitator ball^® mills enable better dispersion of the powder particles, resulting in improved adhesion and adhesion to the surfaces, smooth and uniform coatings, and various color and texture variations. WAB GROUP^® agitator bead mills produce powder coatings with improved filling and flow properties, resulting in a more uniform, more efficient coating and reduced dust generation.  

•  Facade and interior colors

Wet milling technology plays a crucial role in producing high-quality decorative paints. By using our agitator bead mills, finer particle sizes of the color components are achieved, improving color quality and intensity, enabling a wider range of shades. At the same time, the use of cost-intensive raw materials can be optimized through effective grinding.

The excellent particle size distribution achieved by wet grinding leads to better adhesion and application of the paints on different substrates, a more uniform, smooth surface and improved hiding power. This not only improves the aesthetic effect of the paint, but also increases its resistance and cleanability.

•  Filler/primer

To ensure that filler and primer can provide a solid basis for a high-quality and durable coating – wet grinding, using horizontal agitator ball mills^®, plays a crucial role in production.
Through wet grinding, fillers are distributed evenly in the binder matrix, resulting in a homogeneous coating, filling power and smoothing, improved adhesion, quick drying, recoating & durability, opacity, color neutrality and therefore color accuracy with economic advantages.

TURBULA^® MIXED MEDIA PROCESS
GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGIES FOR YOUR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY

•  Powder coatings
• Colors

Powder coating is a surface coating process in which a dry powder material is applied to a substrate. Our high capacity TURBULA^® 3D shaker mixer uses our proprietary Schatz™ movement to mix powders, colors, or granules homogeneously to achieve perfect distribution of particles.