More than five months before the 4th PaintExpo opens at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre, the exhibitor list already includes roughly 300 companies. They come from 19 nations with 23.6% from countries other than Germany. Further growth in exhibitor numbers and internationalism is thus being experienced by the leading international trade fair for industrial coating technology. Nearly all of the market and technology leaders are already represented in the various exhibition segments. PaintExpo is the leading International Trade Fair for Industrial Coating Technology, scheduled from 17 through 20 April 2012 in Karlsruhe (Germany)

"Offerings which are focused exclusively on the process sequences for liquid painting, powder coating and coil coating provide exhibitors and visitors with a clear-cut value advantage. And this is being recognised by more and more manufacturers of industrial coating technology both inside and outside of Germany." This is how J?rgen Hau??ann, managing director of event promoters FairFair GmbH, explains the relentless growth of the international trade fair for industrial coating technology. What he didn't mention is the fact that the majority of the visitors from all over the world come to PaintExpo with concrete tasks, investment plans and the intention to place orders. And this will also be the case at the upcoming event, which will take place at the exhibition centre in Karlsruhe from 17 through 20 April 2012, because companies from all sectors with in-house painting operations, as well as job-shop coaters, are interested in increasing the efficiency, the quality and the ecology of the painting process. And in this respect, it doesn't make any difference at all which industry sector requires painting of parts made of metal, plastic, wood, glass or other materials.

Exhibitors from all sectors are offering new products and services, as well as further developments targeted at optimising processes. Where the pretreatment of metals is concerned, for example, a trend towards nano-ceramic conversion coatings is becoming apparent. Alternatively, solutions are being offered which generate a plainly visible oxidized protective layer with a thickness of just a few nanometres. This allows for easy visual inspection. Moreover, pretreatment can be completed very quickly (within 20 to120 seconds) at temperatures ranging from 20 to 35? C, by means of which energy savings and high throughput rates are made possible.

Ever smaller lot quantities and a continuously increasing variety of colour tones, as well as shorter and shorter life cycles, also represent significant challenges for operators of painting and coating systems. With system concepts and optimisation solutions which are laid out consistently for flexibility and efficient use of materials, the exhibitors are making a significant contribution to streamlined operations, and thus a sharp competitive edge, for companies with in-house painting facilities.

One of the focal points in the field of powder coatings involves low temperature powder coating systems and powdered enamels, which provide optimised corrosion protection. Newly developed powdered enamels with metallic effect will also be introduced. These include, for instance, high-temperature resistant metallic powder and paint systems which provide the coated surface with a certain 3D effect, as well as greater resistance to fingerprints and moisture. Innovative controllers and systems for effective powder conveyance and application also offer answers to questions about how quality and efficiency can be increased, end energy consumption reduced. Potential savings can also be exploited by means of greater degrees of automation. Modern painting robots will be demonstrated which are easy to programme and allow for improved reproducibility of painting results, reduced scrap rates and thus improved quality and economy. The exhibitors will also offer new products in the area of conveyor systems.

The use of infrared heat provides impressive results in many cases where shorter drying or curing times are required, and at the same time reduced energy consumption is desired. Space requirements can often be significantly reduced as well in this way.

Further segments for which PaintExpo's exhibitors will present numerous new solutions include paint stripping, quality assurance and accessories such as masks and hangers, as well as printing, identification and packaging.

Further information and a preliminary exhibitor list can be accessed at www.paintexpo.com.