Blog Entries – IntelliFinishing

What is a Flexible Finishing System

What Is a Flexible Finishing System?

In the world of industrial finishing, the word flexibility isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a real competitive advantage. Manufacturers today face an ever‑changing mix of parts, materials, thicknesses, colors, and customer demands. A finishing system must keep up, and not every system is built to do that.

Manual finishing lines have always been inherently flexible, but most traditional conveyorized systems? Not so much. That’s where IntelliFinishing systems truly stand apart.

This article breaks down what “flexible finishing” really means, why it matters for paint systems, and how IntelliFinishing offers capabilities that traditional chain conveyor-based systems simply cannot match.

If you’d like to watch a video on this topic, click here: What is a Flexible Finishing System? – YouTube

Manual Systems: Flexible, but at a Cost

Without any conveyor or automation, virtually all manual finishing systems still represent the gold standard for flexibility. Operators can move racks or carts at any speed, pause as needed, adjust spacing, and process small or large parts with little restriction beyond what can fit in their booths or ovens.

But manual systems come with a long list of challenges:

They rely heavily on skilled and unskilled labor.
Throughput varies with staffing levels.
Human error affects finish consistency.
Scalability is limited.
Labor shortages make staffing increasingly difficult.

As one of our team members likes to say, “No IntelliFinishing system has ever called in sick.”

Manufacturers need flexibility, yes—but they also need consistency, predictability, and uptime. That’s where conveyorized finishing comes in. Unfortunately, most traditional conveyor systems solve one problem but create another.

Traditional Conveyor Systems: Automated but Rigid

A traditional monorail chain conveyor runs at a single speed and moves all parts throughout the entire finishing line at that speed. It doesn’t matter whether a part is in the wash bay, blast booth, paint booth, or oven—the conveyor pulls everything through at the same pace.

That means:

If one zone needs more time, the entire line slows down or stops.
If a part needs less time, there’s no way to speed it through.
Whenever the line stops, all parts stop.
All parts loaded must be engineered around the constraints of the conveyorized system —not the other way around.

There is zero independent part control and almost no opportunity for variation within the process path. For shops or OEM’s processing different parts of different sizes, thicknesses, materials, or coatings, this becomes a major bottleneck.

Of course, power and free conveyors can allow some level of zone speed control, but they still tend to enforce a rigid set of speeds per chain section. Thus, all items in the cure section will have the same cure time/speed until the entire chain section is adjusted. So, this offers some flexibility, but not per-carrier flexibility.

What Makes IntelliFinishing a True Flexible Finishing System

IntelliFinishing combines the flexibility of manual systems with the automation and consistency of advanced conveyor technology.

Independent Carrier Control

Every IntelliFinishing system uses our IntelliTrak conveyor technology. Instead of one long chain, the conveyor is made up of individually controlled sections.

This means:

Every carrier runs at its own speed per section.
Need more wash time? Slow that section down for that carrier. Want to prevent overcure? Speed up through the oven for that carrier.
Sections can move independently.
A carrier in the oven can slow down while another in the paint booth speeds up. They are not physically connected.
The line never operates as a single point of failure.
One area can pause without shutting the entire system down.

This level of control is something traditional monorail conveyors simply can’t do.

Recipe-Based Processing

Each carrier runs on a recipe tailored to the part it’s carrying. That recipe can be defined as:

Line speed per process
Dwell times, if carriers need to stop
Section-specific behavior – for example, oscillating back and forth in the wash, rather than just a forward-moving option
Routing, such as whether or not to go to the optional steps. For example, through a blast or not through the blast. To a masking station or skip the masking station. To a specific booth for color change optimization or dedicated reasons, and even to specific unload stations.
Dry oven time and temperature responses
And of course, cure oven requirements

If a new part or new coating chemistry is introduced, simply update the recipe—no re-engineering of the system needed.

For example:

If a new wash chemical reduces cleaning time by half, your recipes can be updated instantly. If a new paint requires longer cure times, recipes accommodate that, too.

This type of adaptability makes IntelliFinishing a better future‑proof investment than traditional conveyor systems.

Why Flexibility Matters: Handling a Wide Variety of Parts

Flexible finishing is especially valuable for manufacturers who process:

Different part sizes
Varying material thicknesses
Multiple colors
Mixed material types
Irregular production schedules

This includes custom fabricators, job shops, and OEMs with complex parts – often different parts of the same piece of equipment, painted before assembly.

In particular, with OEMs, for example, the final product might include tiny brackets, large welded assemblies, long structural members, panel items, or heavyweight components. It’s unrealistic to expect all those parts to need—or tolerate—the same finishing path.

An IntelliFinishing system lets each part get pretreated, coated, and cured exactly what it needs, no more and no less.

Small to Extra‑Large Parts? No Problem.

One of our customers, an OEM, finishes trailer parts that:

Weigh up to 25,000 pounds
Measure up to 65 feet long

On the same system, they also powder paint much smaller components for the same trailers.

That’s amazing flexibility.

Integrating with Robots, Reciprocators, and Advanced Automation

Modern finishing increasingly includes robotic painting, automated loading/unloading, and sophisticated reciprocating application equipment.

IntelliFinishing systems are designed to integrate seamlessly with:

Paint or loading robots
Reciprocators
Other automated material handling systems
And of course, the high‑tech, energy-efficient washers and ovens we supply
As well as blast systems

Our PLC and HMI controls easily synchronize with third-party hardware, allowing systems to communicate and operate with precise timing. Carriers arrive at exactly the right place at exactly the right moment—every time.

Automation becomes simpler because the conveyor is smarter.

Material Flexibility: Light, Heavy, Aluminum, Steel, and More

Some finishing systems are designed for lightweight parts. Others focus on heavy steel fabrication.

IntelliFinishing isn’t limited to one category.

Because of the modular track structure and carrier design, our systems can:

Handle light aluminum extrusions
Handle heavy steel weldments
Handle a wide variety of mixed products without change-overs

A single line can serve multiple product families and multiple departments within a business.

Modular “Erector Set” Conveyor Design: Built for Today and Tomorrow

One of the biggest frustrations with traditional systems is that expansion often means tearing out significant portions of the running line. And most monorails cannot be coaxed to increase throughput at all. Meanwhile, changing a power and free system requires extensive downtime.

IntelliFinishing’s modular design solves that.

Our conveyor works like an industrial “erector set”:

Easily add new sections
Reroute paths
Add new ovens and/or booths to increase system capacity
Expand production in phases
Integrate new technology when needed

All with minimal downtime.

Many customers start with Phase 1 and add future phases as demand grows. Because the conveyor is modular and individually controlled, expansions plug into the system without disruption.

Summary: What Makes a Finishing System Truly Flexible?

A truly flexible finishing or painting system should:

Handle a wide variety of part types and sizes
Allow individual part control
Adjust time and speeds in different process zones
Adapt to new coatings and technologies
Integrate with robotics and automation
Expand easily as production grows
Provide consistent, reliable, high-quality finishing throughput

Traditional conveyorized systems can’t do that. Manual systems can, but they rely heavily on people.

IntelliFinishing is the only fully proven finishing system that gives manufacturers manual-like flexibility with fully automated consistency.

It’s the best of both worlds—and for many manufacturers, it’s the only way to meet the challenges of modern production.

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Liquid vs. Powder Coating: Which Finishing System is Right for Your Operation?

Liquid paint systems or Powder paint systems? When you’re looking to upgrade or automate your finishing system, the “Liquid vs. Powder” debate is usually the first hurdle. If you’re currently running manual lines for both, or considering a move from liquid to powder, the choice can feel like a trade-off between efficiency and flexibility. As […]

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Discovering Flexibility and Quality with IntelliFinishing

Every industry, from Education to Security, seeks innovation that provides both quality and flexibility. But for some, especially custom shops that deal with varied products, this can be a challenge. However, one solution has emerged as a turning point in the market—IntelliFinishing.

The New Definition of Flexibility

IntelliFinishing provides a new level of customization that hasn’t been seen before in the industry. With the capability of moving conveyors at variable speeds, changing lanes, and the ability to expand later, the IntelliFinishing system is changing the game for businesses that rely on flexibility to meet the diverse needs inherent in finishing their products.

Smaller Footprint, Larger Impact

Aside from flexibility, what sets IntelliFinishing apart is its compact system. Often, larger systems not only demand more space but also higher costs for constructing and maintaining a bigger facility. IntelliFinishing, with its unique ability to move backward, often saves floor space and enhances operational efficiency. Users have reported saving up to 50% on floor space compared to using larger, competitive systems.

Future-Proofing Your Operations

With the ever-increasing demand for products, many intelligent businesses have a need for future modifications and upgrades for their finishing system. The modular nature of IntelliFinishing makes it easy to add components down the line, promising ‘plug and play’ ease during expansion projects. The result is the uninterrupted operation of the system while additional throughput capacity or improved process steps, leading to higher productivity, better quality, and profitability.

Uncompromising Quality Control

At the end of the day, no business wants to compromise quality for the sake of efficiency or cost savings. The quality finishes that IntelliFinishing systems provide is usually far superior compared to outsourced services. Improved gloss, uniformity, thickness, and adhesion are among the benefits businesses expect when they choose IntelliFinishing.

Operational Efficiency

Technology should enhance efficiency, not hinder it. The IntelliFinishing system offers a solution that eases operations and improves productivity. With the ability to adjust carrier speed per section of track and based on recipe requirements, as well as the ability to catch up to downstream carriers on many of our production lines, IntelliFinishing is helping businesses finish more product in less time. Making up for gaps in the line and the ability to increase part density due to a smooth and quite conveyor system, along with low downtime are just a few ways IntelliFinishing adds to operational efficiency.

Smart and Energy-Efficient

The IntelliFinishing system is designed to be energy-efficient. Its smart features enable it to spray water only when there are parts present in each stage of the wash. Each section’s motor (usually 1/2 hp to 1 hp) only run when carriers are available to be moved. And, perhaps most importantly, our systems use ovens that usually feature a split top construction. This means the conveyor, the part carrier, and the conveyor support structure is outside of the ovens. Combined with a unique air knife design that helps seal in the heat from above and usually doors at the entrance and exits of the ovens, energy savings of 30 to 40% per hour of operation are common. It’s not just about cutting costs; it’s about maximizing resources and reducing waste.

In conclusion, IntelliFinishing offers not just an efficient way of handling diverse products in a compact footprint, it also ensures quality in every step of the process through a carrier per recipe approach, establishing itself as an attractive solution for businesses looking for flexible, quality-controlled, and efficient operations.

Experience the difference and flexibility IntelliFinishing has to offer. Visit our website at www.IntelliFinishing.com and begin the journey of improving your operations today. Or contact John Claman at jclaman@intellifinishing.com or by cell phone at 785-577-9104.

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How do IntelliFinishing Systems turn corners?

Turning Corners with an IntelliFinishing System

Have you ever wondered how the IntelliFinishing conveyor navigates corners? It’s a question that comes up surprisingly often. This mystery lies at the core of the unique material handling conveyor we use to build IntelliFinishing systems, which is why we are here to unravel it.

The Power Behind Turning Corners

The first method we have for turning corners involves using the design feature of having both front and rear trolleys on every carrier in an IntelliFinishing system. Carriers will, at minimum, have two trolleys, but they could also be designed to have four trolleys (called dual and quad trolley carriers, respectively. It’s even possible to have three trolley carriers with two trolleys on one end of a carrier and one at the other end. Each trolley consists of spring-loaded, cantilevered friction wheels (4 per trolley) made of synthetic rubber that press upward upon an aluminum tube that can be spun using small motors and drive belts. The friction between the tubes and the friction wheels transports the trolley forward or backward, depending on the direction of rotation of the spinning tube. The action has often been compared to worm drives, but without gears, relying only on the friction to provide the force requirements.

However, most of the time, we don’t have a powered spinning tube in the corners of our system layouts. Instead, front trolleys of a carrier are powered to move off the end of a straight section of friction tube, and then coast around the support track corner, powered only by the back trolleys, before hitting another section of straight friction tube after the turn. Then the front trolleys pull the back trolleys around the unpowered corner. It’s deceptively simple! That said, the turns do have to be designed based on the length of the carrier, the turn radius required, and the other dimensions of the product, especially the width to prevent collisions with support structures or other equipment.

Flexibility through Innovation

Sometimes, especially for our lightweight 500 series, we do power the corners. The corner can be “powered” by rotating a flexible synthetic rubber tube through the movement of the carrier instead of an aluminum tube. With the ability to flex right around corners while spinning, it adds force to the turn, which is sometimes required for lighter-weight products hung on this relatively lightweight conveyor. Just note: even our lightest weight conveyor, the 500 series, can transport products up to about 1,000 pounds per carrier, so it’s not “light-weight” compared to many chain-based monorail conveyors.

Cornering with Deadhead Turns and Shuttles

Another option we have for 180-degree turns, which are unique compared to chain-based conveyors, is to use deadhead turns instead of two 90-degree turns. With a deadhead turn, the carrier is taken to the end of a straight track and stopped. It is then reversed in direction and hits a 45-degree switch turn to an adjacent track and then another 45-degree turn to join a parallel track line headed in the opposite direction. A deadhead turn is particularly useful for placing process equipment closer together compared to a traditional conveyor U-turn. This is one possible way for an IntelliFinishing system to shrink the total required footprint, saving manufacturers space for other revenue-generating activities.

Shuttles bring a different type of flexibility to our systems. A shuttle can move a whole section of the track assembly laterally or side to side. With shuttles, the carrier goes out onto the shuttle, then the whole track moves sideways to the next process, which could be right beside the last process or several processes away. Carriers have many options when traversing shuttles to go forward and backward into and out of multiple process options. Shuttles work more like hallways than traditional tracks and each process is just a “doorway” on either side of the shuttle. Shuttles are particularly good at helping to shrink system footprints and making processes more flexible.

Turning corners with IntelliFinishing’s material handling system offers greater design flexibility compared to traditional monorails or even compared to Power and Free conveyors. To learn more about the practical applications of our usual turns, our deadhead turns, and the use of laterally moving shuttles, on IntelliFinishing systems, we encourage you to browse our video collections at intellifinishing.com or watch this video: FAQ 12 – How Does it Turn Corners? – IntelliFinishing

Embracing the IntelliFinishing paradigm of conveyance through a finishing process allows for smooth turns, a high degree of part variety, variable processes, quieter operation, and enhanced productivity. Discover the edge of our unique material handling strategies today by exploring www.intellifinishing.com.

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Navigating Industrial Finishing: The Art and Science of Estimating Capacity

Being an industrial manufacturing leader means making informed decisions to streamline operations. This is no different when it comes to selecting and implementing a new finishing system. But how can a company determine the required system capacity? The answer lies in understanding your unique product mix and the capabilities of modern conveyorized systems like IntelliFinishing.

Diverse Product Mix? No Problem

Industrial manufacturing can involve an assortment of products of varying sizes and shapes. A single conveyorized finishing system, traditionally gauged by its feet per minute capacity, often poses difficulties in accommodating such product diversity. IntelliFinishing is a versatile finishing system that adapts more easily to a broad range of products, from small components to heavy oversized machinery parts.

Carriers Per Hour: A New Metric for Estimating Capacity

The traditional ‘feet per minute’ evaluation used by traditional monorail systems isn’t as

relevant for IntelliFinishing systems because we can move carriers at different speeds when needed, from full-stop to speeds as high as 40 or even 65 fpm in non-process areas (and depending on the system series, with the heavier systems tending to move a little slower). IntelliFinishing bases its capacity measurements on carriers per hour and average parts per carrier. This measure accounts for the fact that different carriers can travel at different speeds per section and around the track. Carrier per-hour calculations consider your total output requirements, not just linear feet per minute. So, how can you anticipate the number of carriers your system will need to handle in an hour?

Calculating Parts Per Hour

Calculating carriers per hour starts with calculating average parts per hour. If you have the means to estimate how many specific parts the system will need to finish with part dimension data per part, you can, of course, use this detail to calculate carriers per hour to a very granular level. Unfortunately, many companies process many, many parts, and estimating how many of each part per hour can be quite difficult. Perhaps an easier way to consider the volume of total parts is to use a category approach of small, medium, large, and extra-large parts. Dimensional data could be “estimated” by using the dimensions of the largest composite “small” part, “medium part,” etc. This method tends to underestimate parts per carrier, thus building in additional system capacity while ensuring a worst-case dimension per part size category. Once you know the estimated yearly volume of parts per size category with maximum estimated lengths and heights of each part category, it’s simple math to determine the average linear square feet per part category, and from this estimate, the number of parts that can be hung on a carrier traversing the finishing system. Don’t forget to add some spacing around each part. The most common way to add this spacing is to add a half-foot of length and height, respectively, to each “max size estimate” per part size category. Divide the derived square foot required per part into the carrier’s linear square foot capacity, and you’ll have the number of parts that can potentially be loaded per carrier.

Predictive Analysis Guides Forward Planning

Estimating capacity is a dynamic process that should adapt to your company’s growth. Your data should also be forward-looking, incorporating projections for the next five to eight years.

Here’s a link to a video we created to illustrate the process of estimating carriers per hour needed for a manufacturer with a wide range of part options: IntelliFinishing FAQ Series #14 – How Many Carriers per Hour Does Your System Need

Also, consider that the above calculations are assuming an ideal plant situation. You should consider what happens at your plant specifically. How smooth is the flow to the finishing system likely to be? Will there be gaps in wip available to be painted? To what degree will products need to be mixed on a carrier, causing variance in the average parts per carrier calculations? How about the customs at your plant? How likely is there to be gaps in manual operations during the day? As such, once you have a carrier per hour calculation, you might want to add to it a “fudge” factor. In other words, should you increase the CPH a bit to cover an imperfect plant? It’s not uncommon for companies to ask for systems ten to fifty percent faster than required, just to ensure they have enough capacity.

Scaling Finishing Operations With Confidence

Revolutionizing your finishing operations should not involve guesswork or leaps in logic. With a systematic method of calculating capacity, maximizing output, and future-proof planning, you can confidently scale your operations successfully, offering cost-effectiveness and efficiency in the long run.

Ready to optimize your finishing operations? Contact us at IntelliFinishing to discuss your needs and access a range of resources, including an automated spreadsheet that simplifies carrier capacity calculations and helps you evaluate your needs with precision.

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IntelliFinishing is a part of Kasa

Automation is Vast Industry and Kasa Plays a Small but Specific Role

The word automation has many different definitions. To some, automation may mean faster, better. To others, automation may mean higher productivity. To us, automation encompasses that and more. The International Society of Automation defines it as “the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production and delivery of products and services.” And we absolutely agree.

While the automation industry is vast, Kasa Controls and Automation is proud to play a small role in the global industry. We believe the automation profession is not just about machines but about the people involved in the process of creating and applying revolutionary technology. Our outcomes are clear: produce and deliver products and services to the highest standards.

What is Industrial Automation?

Industrial automation uses set technologies and devices to operate and control industrial processes. With superior performance, industrial automation provides systems with safe, sustainable, and economical operations.

Often, industrial automation includes utilizing computer software or even robotics and can increase productivity while reducing costs. Industrial control systems allow users to operate locally or remotely, providing flexibility while ensuring quality.

At Kasa Controls and Automation we are automation experts, not process experts. We don’t focus on designing devices, making prototypes, or providing equipment. We do something more.

How We Fit

We know the systems. As experts, we automate the equipment provided by others and integrate material handling systems. While we aren’t a fit for everyone, we see the value we bring to others through our work.

Automation provides benefits to various industries, including manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and facility operations. Automation is often attributed to higher efficiency and productivity rates while encompassing improved safety mechanisms in the workplace.

Automation’s improved safety has been shown to help avoid and reduce injuries in the workplace by using data and quick communication outputs that allow the operator to adjust accordingly.

Automation also provides users with increased systems control, leading to faster product and data throughput, smarter accuracy, and system reliability.

We know that automation helps businesses improve. Human error can be the cause of an expensive or fatal mistake. Slip-ups happen, but most can be avoided. Automation provides more data input and output, which can decrease human error in the industry by delivering cross-referencing, complete synchronization, and repetitive computing.

Besides automating production and conveyorized systems, we can also help lower system costs. For example, businesses often assume high energy costs cannot be avoided. However, utilizing innovative controls and automation technology, which provides analytical capabilities along with data processing, facilities can manage their energy usage and costs more effectively. Accurate performance metrics are vital to analyzing energy usage. We’ve pioneered smart controls that provide communication and data about utility usage for the grain industry and other facilities. These data rich programs not only enhance understanding of utility usage, they can help operators or even the equipment itself cycle on in ways to avoid peak loads and other conditions that significantly increase monthly utility costs.

Kasa Controls and Automation also knows how to utilize our expertise and the benefits of automation to log preventative maintenance and help with predictive maintenance, which in turn can help prevent downtime. We help companies in a wide variety of industries to automate and improve throughput, reduce costs, enhance quality, and improve safety.

Automotive

The U.S. automobile industry is worth over $80 billion and accounts for roughly 3% of the U.S. GDP. Facilitating, managing, and producing cars plays a vital role in supporting the economy. An automotive manufacturing plant will often contain a wide variety of conveyors used to move the car body along mechanisms while it is in the building process.

At Kasa, we do not provide the conveyors or the equipment, but we know how to control these systems and tools using PLCs, HMIs, various software and other control equipment, so they do their jobs as intended. These controls help ensure the material or the car is handled safely and efficiently during the manufacturing process.

Grain

Grain facilities also rely on conveyor belts similar to the automotive industry to move commodities throughout their facilities. The plant needs to correctly choose the path the grain must follow in order to store it in the correct location to maximize the mix of grains and obtain the greatest potential profit for the facility. Since grain dust is also potentially explosive, all systems need to be closely monitored for safety. Kasa has created software to manage the entire operation of many grain facilities. Through that software we can integrate with the hazard monitoring systems common in today’s grain elevators. Our software communicates to and with each piece of equipment in the grain handling system to functionally operate at the correct time, in a safe manner, to move the grain to or from storage appropriately while removing the chances of errors common when these items are done manually without automation.

Kasa’s software helps prevent mixing commodities, alerts operators of potential dangers before significant damage, and allows systems to run automatically and often with less personnel in grain facilities from small to extremely large. We often also help reduce grain facility utility charges related to peak demand by sequencing on equipment so peak loads are diminished as well as other forms of utility monitoring.

Industrial Paint Systems (via IntelliFinishing)

Kasa’s dba IntelliFinishing is a complete conveyorized finishing systems provider. Our unique finishing system supplies new levels of automation to the industrial paint industry, including for powder coating and liquid painting applications. With IntelliFinishing, individual carriers of parts on the conveyor can operate independently of other carriers throughout the entire system. The system relies on smart control technology and our modular, friction-tube based, conveyor.

IntelliFinishing Industrial Finishing Systems

IntelliFinishing systems use carriers racked with parts to be painted that move throughout the system based on recipe instructions for each carrier. The recipes dictate how long a carrier will remain in each process throughout the system. Our smart control system dictates carrier speed, direction, and process steps at any point within the system. These capabilities mean that the system can slow down or stop in process areas and speed up in non-process zones. We can even direct parts to move along different pathways, backwards, or laterally depending on the conveyor design. Ultimately, this provides a system that can finish a much wider assortment of parts than traditional conveyorized options since each type of part is processed based on the recipe most appropriate for it, whereas traditional overhead conveyors rely on chains that link all parts hung together. Traditional finishing conveyors offer very little ability to change a part’s recipe.

IntelliFinishing systems are most popular within the metal finishing industry, and the system’s flexibility has allowed users to create products with the highest quality in finish, with higher throughput, and with the ability to change process or even grow the systems over time based on changing finishing needs.

Baggage Handling

Air travel and airports have an abundance of moving parts to their operation system – literally and figuratively. One important aspect of a trip is to make sure the customer’s belongings get to and from the right place at the right time.

Integrating our smart controls into baggage handling conveyor systems allows greater flexibility and automation in checking weight, baggage counting and sorting, and following rigorous security measures. Our unique design allows for a more manageable and productive system. This helps airport operations run more smoothly and travelers to receive their belongings on time.

Parcel

We recognize that thriving industries have many moving parts, and we’re here to help speed that along. Kasa Parcel Automation provides the operational controls for many parcel delivery and fulfillment industries. Our controls act as the brain behind the conveyors that control parcel movements and allow companies to streamline the conveyance of their inventory.

Our controls operate efficiently at high capacity, but they also help automate the sortation process, ensuring quality part or product distribution performance and on-time delivery.

Panel Build

At Kasa, we recognize the value of well-built, organized control panels in any controls or automation system. These systems cannot operate without the support of well-made control panels. Our 40,000-square-foot shop is dedicated to building panels. The panels used and implemented in automation combine PLC’s, VFD’s, I/O, comm devices, electrical and data wiring, and switch technologies to allow operators to control entire systems. We also build the HMI’s (Human Machine Interfaces) with touch-screen computer displays that are the means through which systems are operated by facility personnel.

Our panels are built with our customers in mind – we understand the importance of perfect detail, organized panels, labeled wiring and components, and safe operation using high voltage. Our panels meet with industry compliance standards and offer customization to meet the level of specifications required by even the most demanding of customer needs.

Why Kasa?

The automation world is vast, growing, and busy. Although Kasa plays only a modest part in that world, our expert knowledge and experience is vital to the industry.

Automotive, agricultural, industrial paint, baggage handling, parcel distribution, fulfillment centers, and panel build are just a few of the areas and industries that we have and will continue to help flourish.

We recognize automation is “more than meets the eye”. When done right, it seems…well, automatic and easy. At Kasa, we will continue to seek to revolutionize the automation industry by applying our custom designed smart controls. From control panel builds to projects requiring critical automation services and products, Kasa Controls and Automation has a wide breadth of experience and expertise to help you with your automation needs. Contact us for more information about any of our offerings.

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How Important is Part Window in a Finishing System?

First, let’s define what a part window is. All conveyorized overhead finishing systems are designed to accommodate a maximum part in terms of height and width. Traditionally, this is the part window. The part window is not the same as the part opening. The part opening adds at least one-half foot to each dimension on all sides to the part window. In other words, suppose you have a five-foot-wide by a five-foot-tall part window. The part opening would be about six feet wide by six-foot-tall. This allows for at least six inches of clearance on all sides as parts move through the system.

For IntelliFinishing Systems, part windows are usually calculated to accommodate the largest single part or combined part dimensions. Typically, the tallest and widest parts are determined, and those dimensions define the part window. Often, this is the same part, but it could be several very different parts.

Another aspect to consider is the orientation of the part as they move through the system. We tend to think of the height of a part based upon how it is seen when in use, but parts do not necessarily have to travel through a system in the same orientation. They can be hung “on their sides” or at angles to fit a part window better.

Examining The Cost and Effectiveness of Part Window Size

In general, it’s somewhat less expensive for a part window to be taller rather than wider. It can also be more effective for some processes, such as a wash pretreatment, for the part window to be narrower so that spray nozzles can be closer to the parts and the center of the part window. Turning parts so they are taller and slimmer when on a system can be suitable for both system design and cost and process reasons.

Does part window size determine the initial costs of the system? Yes and no. Unusually large part windows can dramatically increase the price of a system once you get beyond a standard size. For example, if the width is much bigger than six feet or the height exceeds eight feet, the costs for process equipment can increase much faster than they would be leading up to this size.

Carrier length, of course, has a lot to do with the cost of the system. Larger carriers will cost more because each piece of process equipment needs to accommodate more extended potential parts. However, even more, important is simply throughput. Throughput for an IntelliFinishing system is usually expressed as carriers per hour. There is a direct and somewhat proportional relationship between carriers per hour and the total amount of conveyors, the cost and size of ovens, the number of booths, the size and style of pretreatment options, and the number of other system stations, for example, for loading, unloading, masking, etc.

To the height and width of a part, another consideration for an IntelliFinishing system is the maximum part length. Since an IntelliFinishing system utilizes carriers to transport components through the system, the carrier is often the same size as the most significant length part the system will be handling. So, let’s say a company’s longest part is 15 feet long, but they have many elements that are much smaller. The carrier is usually made to handle the longest part at 15 feet, and all pieces smaller than 15 feet can be mixed and matched on a carrier to fill up the volume.

What is the biggest part window an IntelliFinishing system can accommodate? We’ve not yet determined the limits of what our system can accommodate for a part window. With that being said, the largest part window we’ve installed to date was for gooseneck trailers that are up to 52 feet long, 9 feet wide, and could be up to about 9 feet tall. Systems could easily exceed these dimensions, and indeed some have been considered by potential customers and drafted up, but the system at Load Trail in Sulphur Springs, TX, is the largest part window…so far.

Can You Expand That Window Once The System Is Installed?

It’s not easy to expand the part window once a system is installed. The walls and openings of the process equipment are designed based on the part opening, and to make those openings larger would require cutting into that equipment. Some pieces of the system may be more forgiving in this regard than others. That said, there is always someone who finds a way to push the system’s limits. Another consideration on a part window is the impact on turns. Simply placing a wider or longer than usual part on a system may cause that part to run into structural elements designed to expect a narrower part. With an IntelliFinishing System, increasing the number of carriers per hour the system handles is possible, but expanding the part window is generally not done.

Contact IntelliFinishing Today

IntelliFinishing systems are designed to bring you greater efficiency, quality, and flexibility in your part finishing process. Determining the part window is often the first of many steps to design a system customized exclusively for your needs.

To learn more, contact us today.

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Steel Prices and the Impact on Finishing Systems

If you are involved in manufacturing, we don’t have to remind you that the COVID-19 pandemic caused increases in nearly all raw commodities, as well as significant strains on the supply chain. In particular, the price of steel dramatically increased the cost of finishing systems. Steel prices are up 219% since early 2020 according to the August article linked above. This obviously affects the cost of steel used in washers, ovens, booths, shotblasts, and conveyors.

Let’s take a look into the raw steel market and what that means for finishing systems.

The Cost of Steel

Steel prices are a function of many market factors including supply, demand, and the cost of underlying raw materials. According to the 2021 Steel Price Forecast by General Steel Buildings, coal prices have also surged almost 200% since the beginning of this year. Meanwhile, demand is up and supply is having a hard time keeping up because many suppliers turned off their blast furnaces during the 2020 shut down.

The cost of steel is also influenced by economics both domestically and globally. Domestically these include the strength of the U.S. dollar, demand for steel in any product, and trade tariffs. Globally, these include the world’s economy, natural disasters, wars, and other political events.

The pandemic created a unique situation for the steel industry. Lockdowns, unemployment, and the uncertainty of COVID-19 saw the demand for steel to drastically drop. In February of 2021, it bottomed out before making a comeback in May.

Steel Mill When the lockdowns were lifted, demand picked up, but it wasn’t enough to fully help the steel industry fully recover. 2020 steel demand dropped 15.3 percent from 2019, but prices have steadily increased since December of 2020.

While there have been reports of spot shortages of steel for some types of steel, for the most part, the steel is available – just much more costly. U.S. Steel imports were up 17.4 percent as recently as Aug. 25, 2021.

So steel is affecting the costs of finishing systems, but another factor is also affecting systems that is not directly tied to the steel industry. That factor is the general disruption of the supply chain.

These include rather everyday system parts of any type. In fact, it’s somewhat difficult to predict what formally abundant supply chain parts might suddenly become scarce. Fanless PC’s for example, may be the new toilet paper! The scramble for us and other finishing system providers to find workarounds is constant and can add incrementally to the cost and timeline of any installation.

What This Means For The Cost of Finishing Systems

The most challenging aspect of the rapid rise in steel prices and the uncertainty of the supply chain for IntelliFinishing is that it’s much more difficult for us to do budgetary estimates and predict a timeline for installation. Traditionally, we base our budgetary quotes on our historical information on previous bids we’ve quoted, as well as those we’ve sold. We do it this way because it’s fast. We can usually do a draft layout of a Steel Round Bar in Warehouse system and offer a budgetary quote in just a few days, sometimes quicker.

Now, all of a sudden, our historical price data is way off. We’ve even had a few prospects who obtained budgetary quotes before the most recent run-up in steel prices, who were shocked at the prices for their formal quotes done just months later.

The alternative to using historical data for budgetary quoting is to actually get updated quotes from all system vendors based on their current costs for the materials required. This option, however, is often not very quick. All systems involve multiple vendors and some vendor quotes are contingent on other vendor quotes. Seeking pricing in this manner may add several weeks to a budgetary quote. Of course, this process is routine for formal quotes, because those quotes need to be very exact as customers will hopefully purchase the systems quoted. They aren’t just seeking an internal request for capital spending…they are wanting to buy the proposed system at a firm price.

One more troubling aspect of rapidly rising steel prices is that it gets much harder to hold on to the quoted price for any length of time. Vendors supplying steel equipment include strong language that the quote is only suitable for a relatively short period. Most quotes contained these timing clauses in the past, but since prices were stable, even if a quote decision came in after the proposal stated timeframe, the quoted price was generally honored. Now, it’s much more common for quotes to be requoted if a decision cannot be made in the stated proposal timeframe.

Will This Affect The Timeliness of IntelliFinishing Systems?

All this said, the rise in steel prices, the scarcity of steel, and the holes in supply chain for formally abundant parts, have not caused any delays in installations of IntelliFinishing systems so far.

More directly, simple demand for aspects of systems, including for quotes and installed systems has pushed out normal delivery timeframes somewhat. Everyone in the industry seems to be inordinately busy so far this year based on conversations we had with co-vendors and competitors at FabTech and other industry events. So, if you are considering a new finishing system and you suspect an IntelliFinishing system would be a good fit for you, we encourage you to seek us out as soon as possible to start that discussion. While you are at it, if you need to build new, or modify your existing facility, you should start looking for a general contractor as early as possible, too. We understand most of them are buried in work too!

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Delivering Responsive 24/7 Support

A facility is never short on the need for service and support. With so many pieces of equipment and assets, it’s part of operations. However, not every supplier delivers responsive service and support. As a result, plants may encounter downtime, which can have huge financial impacts.

At Kasa, we don’t want our customers to face such challenges. Delivering support and service to our customers is a key value. We hope to share insights into what the process is like and what our customers can expect.

Kasa Companies offers service agreements to customers tailored to fit their needs. It can include discounted rates, annual system audits, software updates, upgrade recommendations, and more. (Kasa Companies is the parent company of Kasa Controls & Automation, IntelliFinishing, and Kasa Parcel Automation.)

Drivers of Service Calls

Scott Jensen, Service Warranty Engineer, provided his insights on the process and workflows of service interactions.

“The most common service calls are for parts orders, control panel drawing assistance, PLC logic troubleshooting, device parameter assistance, and system operation assistance.”

While the service calls are the same, Jensen did note that the difference is in who reaches out. For IntelliFinishing, it’s the maintenance personnel, and for Kasa, it’s the operators.

IntelliFinishing Offers 24/7 Support

When customers need our assistance, they can reach us at any time. During normal business hours, support engineers take calls immediately. After-hours, customers can escalate the situation if it’s time-sensitive and an on-call engineer is always available.

In a typical system assistance call situation, an engineer can use an Ethernet/VPN access to troubleshoot, looking at the same screens as would be available onsite on the HMI’s (human machine interfaces). They can check the alarms, current and historical, look at system logic, check sensor parameters, etc. Because our service team has remote access to the system, engineers can run a wide variety of diagnostics to identify most issues.

Jensen shared a story of a recent service call. The problem was a bottom reclaim gate that was opening and not closing properly. After looking at the HMI, he advised that the closed limit switch wasn’t functioning correctly. “I then found the manual for the gate actuator with the mechanical and electrical layout and sent it to the customer to correct the issue.”

Tracking Calls and Follow-Ups

To track calls and follow-ups, the team uses a proprietary support application. It includes time and data tracking that’s a visual representation of calls that are past due for resolution and a searchable database to check for repeated issues to find solutions quickly.

Ordering New Parts

The most common service calls for Kasa are for relays, position, temperature, and speed sensors as well as for power supplies. IntelliFinishing customers often call to request miscellaneous conveyor parts, mechanical switches, variable frequency drives, power supplies, fuses, proximity switches, and cables. Customers can order parts directly from us with a simple call.

In the parts ecosystem these days, all companies are dealing with supply chain issues. To counter this, Jensen explained that the company has diversified how they procure parts. They’ve also used their inventory of extra parts from system builds to fill some gaps that have occurred.

Customers Rely on Our Commitment to Service and Support

Service and support are vital to any relationship between provider and customer. It’s critical that our customers feel confident in our ability to do this well. Jensen shared what he hopes all customers can say about the experience, “We sincerely care about the issue, and want to assist our customers with a good outcome. We want them to feel more assured that the decision to purchase from us was a great one.”

Learn more about Kasa Controls & Automation and IntelliFinishing today.

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SCADA and Finishing Systems: Gathering Real-Time Data and What to Do with It

SCADA (Supervisory Control Data Acquisition) systems, first used in the 1960s, are a critical part of most industrial and manufacturing plants. By using this technology, you can gather and analyze real-time data to monitor and control equipment. It has many applications across verticals, including food manufacturing, machining, grain handling, and anodizing.

SCADA is a software smart control system but different than PLC software (Programmable Logic Controller). SCADA sits one layer above the PLC. It feeds information to and from the system PLCs but also upstream to and from other database systems including manufacturing scheduling software and ERP systems.

SCADA and Finishing Systems

In many cases, automated finishing systems don’t have an optimized SCADA or even any sophisticated software. Several factors impact SCADA adoption. The finishing industry has been slow to upgrade because most companies who have automatic finishing systems use monorail conveyors. Monorails are durable and long-lasting, but they don’t require much programming sophistication. Monorail finishing systems are a very common traditional approach, and best for parts that are repetitive and relatively homogenous. However, for those who need to finish a wide variety of parts, a monorail isn’t always able to provide the process flexibility required.

Automated finishing systems that are able to provide part process flexibility use unique conveyors and SCADA to put all parts on the same system and change the recipe per part type. The SCADA also controls other functions, such as track switches, line spurs, and shuttle systems while allowing for differences in loading or unloading preferences, pre-treatments, finishes, and curing.

SCADA in Action

When using SCADA, you can see the entire process on the plant floor HMIs or on network connected computer screens. Often color-coding schemes enable you to determine the status of each carrier on the system but for more information you can also drill down into capabilities per location for real-time process status, order, part, and recipe data. Some customers even add note fields so that comments by loaders, for example, can be reviewed by downstream operators in booths or at unload. System operators can add to these notes and also look at the entire history of carriers processed, or by jobs, parts, timeframes, etc.

Timing for each process is often available on the main or sub-system control screens. For example, carriers in the cure oven may show that a set of parts have “five minutes left” before they move out of the oven into the cool down process and then to unload.

With larger systems, as the parts wind their way around the process, operators can focus on zones. Since each carrier is reporting data, you can see screen zones that are blocked or starved, indicating that some action needs to occur to remove the blockers.

A SCADA solution is flexible and agile, perfect for all types of systems. Each SCADA solution is customized to meet the individual process and desires of a finishing system.

Process Data Screen

Beyond the map view of the system, SCADA can also link in data from each set of process equipment. A typical screen could contain every load of product, the carrier, recipe name, the color, job(s), customer name, the loader, notes, load time, and current location. You can filter the data table by ranges of dates or times and then export a spreadsheet for further analysis.

Since the information updates in real-time, you’ll see color-coding used again to illustrate things like when expected cycle times are longer than usual.

Master Recipes

Another common screen for an IntelliFinishing system is for Master Recipes. This matrix example shows the recipe number and name, shot blast information, pretreating, dry oven, cure oven, and the recipe’s creation date. You can change these recipes as needed to meet new customer specifications, changing products, or new system wash chemistries, powders, paints, cure times, etc. When a trained operator makes changes to a specific recipe for a specific carrier, the SCADA makes sure it doesn’t affect the recipes of any other carrier on the system.

Wash Status

The Wash Status screen is present when you integrate SCADA with a wash software system. You can view each stage and tags that align with that station. It also shows the burner stages and information like temperatures, chemistry, water pressure, etc.

Dry/Gel Oven Status

Integrating with a dry-off and gel oven platform lets you see the target temperature versus the actual temperature. Additionally, you can view the general status and target versus the remaining timing.

Load and Alarm History

Load History holds all the data, current and historical, and highlights key metrics, including:

Total parts processed
Total square feet of parts processed
Average processing time
Average wash time
Total number of carriers for the day

You can download this as a report.

Alarm History is another important data collection element. Alarms also have color-coding to designate their severity. You can configure alarm screens by:

Current and historical
Escalation process (email or text notifications)
Sort, search, and filter functions
Auto-reporting emails at desired timeframes

HMI Displays

The HMI (Human Machine Interface) display loading and masking options for:

System or racking instructions or drawings
Part identifiers and specifications
Masking and labeling instructions and diagrams
Manuals
Work instructions
Data from multiple sources (i.e., websites, databases, documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, manuals, and sound or video files)

Using SCADA Data

Leveraging SCADA has even more data-driven benefits. Use it as a quality control logger that measures the part, carrier, or order.

The system also shows trends like production per day, week, month, or year-over-year from data analysis. You can also create preventive maintenance modules to track runtimes per motor, wheels, nozzles, heater units, and more.

Track energy by integrating with electrical and gas systems to calculate utility per carrier or part processing costs.

Other custom workflow systems can help you define labor cost per hour when integrating with an ERP, MES, or MRP platform.

If you have questions about SCADA options for a new finishing system and how to leverage them in your finishing processes, contact the experts at IntelliFinishing.