Belco - Plasan Case Study

When Plasan Carbon Composites required a custom system installation with a short turnaround, Belco Industries rose to the challenge and delivered beyond expectations.Plasan is the leading Tier One provider of carbon fiber components for the automotive industry in North America, including structural and class A parts for mid-volume production cars.  Carbon fiber is strong but lighter than steel, aluminum and other materials.

In the summer of 2012, Plasan decided to add a prime paint line at their facility in Walker, Michigan. On recommendations from its suppliers, Plasan decided to move forward with Belco to build its paint line in July of that year.  Belco completed the design in August, with construction immediately following in September.  Only four short months later, the whole system went into full production mode on January 5, 2013.

Even with the quick turnaround requirements, this was not standard-issue installation. As it has with many other clients, Belco worked to customize the system to the needs of Plasan.  Because applying paint to carbon fiber has different heat requirements than steel or aluminum, Belco added “black panel” radiant zones in the paint line.  This reduces the overall convection time required and supplies a passive heat up zone.

The custom design of the paint line went beyond its components.  Belco used a racetrack style layout and fit the whole line in less space than Plasan expected they would need and adjusted the load/unload station for optimal working height.

Making the system easy to use was a top requirement in all stages of the paint line, not just the very beginning and end. Belco programmed the system to operate with minimal hassle, from startup procedures to continued on-site fine tuning after Plasan’s January 5 startup.

A custom system with quick turnaround and continued support is all in a day’s work for Belco. Learn more about Belco at belcoind.com.

Belco derives its strength from a diversified product line and its willingness to respond to the growing and changing demands of the industries we serve. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business.