The German company acs Coating Systems GmbH, Wilhelmshaven, originally developed the coating DURAPEK® (patented) for applications in the automotive industry. The coating has since also proven itself in catering applications and was most recently optimized for the demands of the baking trade. Major customers such as manufacturers of combi-steamers or catering systems, who require at least 20,000 cycles, as well as pan manufacturers, use DURAPEK® coatings, in some cases under their own trade names. The coatings are based on the high-performance plastic polyaryletherketone, or PAEK for short, which is said to be harder and more resistant than PTFE, PFA or silicone, according to acs Coating Systems managing director Dr. Christoph Stecher.
DURAPEK® coatings differ from typical coatings not only in material but also in how they are manufactured, the company says. The usual method is spraying on wet paints followed by baking. DURAPEK® coatings, by contrast, are applied electrostatically as a powder and baked differently. For perforated trays, this technique also results in an even distribution around the hole edges and their reverse side, explains Dr. Stecher. Detachment starting from the holes is thus systematically avoided.
Production
The coating is applied fully automatically; the parts are only manually loaded and unloaded. The coating lines feature a central control system, with each product having its own program containing all machine parameters, from spray-gun guidance to oven temperature. This ensures repeatable precision. In addition to trays, baking molds and bread baking bands can also be coated.