Paint and Coatings Manufacturing: Filtration, Sieving, and Mixing Solutions

Paint filtration and the production of paint and coatings to a consistent specification are precision-demanding processes. Liquid paints must be free of airborne contamination, undispersed pigment agglomerates, and surface skins before they reach the packaging line.

Powder coatings require accurate particle size control to achieve uniform film build and finish quality. And across both product types, mixing efficiency, particularly the dispersion of pigments and functional additives, directly determines final product performance.

Advanced Packaging Systems supplies equipment from Russell Finex and Silverson that addresses each of these challenges — from self-cleaning liquid filtration through to high shear mixing systems proven in paint and coatings production environments.

Liquid Paint Filtration: The Russell Eco Filter®

Liquid paint presents a consistent filtration challenge. Batches accumulate airborne particles, unmixed product, and surface skins during manufacture and storage. Removing this contamination reliably without interrupting production requires a filtration system capable of handling viscous, pigment-rich liquids continuously and at scale.

The Self-Cleaning Russell Eco Filter® uses a stainless steel filter element with a patented SpiroKlene™ wiper system that continuously cleans the inside of the filter during operation. This eliminates the need for filter bags or cartridges and removes contamination down to 15 microns without stoppages for manual bag or cartridge changes. The result is a consistent flow of filtered product and a lower total cost of ownership compared with traditional strainer or bag filter arrangements.

Farrow & Ball, the UK paint manufacturer renowned for high-pigment formulations, turned to Russell Finex to improve batch throughput and quality assurance. Farrow & Ball paints contain up to 30% more pigment than comparable products from other manufacturers — a quality advantage that also creates a higher risk of undispersed pigment in the finished product. Previously, eliminating this risk required extended mixing cycles of up to two days per batch before sign-off.

Following an on-site trial, two Russell Eco Filter® units were installed on the production line. Batch sign-off time was reduced to 45 minutes — 100% faster than the previous process — while product quality was maintained at the required standard.

NedZink, one of the world’s leading producers of rolled titanium zinc for architectural applications, applies a unique chemical treatment to its zinc to produce a coloured protective coating layer. Contamination particles in this coating directly affect surface finish and product quality. Under their previous filtration arrangement, the production line required shutdown every 8 to 10 hours to clear blockages and replace filter media.

After installing the Russell Eco Filter®, NedZink reported no contamination particles in the coating and a reduction of approximately 15% in production downtime, with continuous runs of up to 50 hours possible without mesh blockage.

Powder Coatings Screening: The Russell Compact Sieve®

Powder coatings require consistent particle size to achieve uniform electrostatic application and an even film build. Oversize particles, whether from agglomeration during storage, contamination introduced during handling, or reclaimed overspray, must be removed before the powder re-enters the production cycle.

The Russell Compact Sieve® is a high-capacity vibratory screener with a fully enclosed design, providing complete product containment — important when handling fine chemical powders. The unit is designed for space-constrained production environments and can be integrated directly into existing lines without compromising flow rates.

Applications in powder coatings include:

• Check screening of finished powder to remove oversize particles before packaging
• Reclaiming overspray from spray booths, removing contamination and restoring product to specification
• Grading of incoming raw materials to verify particle size distribution

The Compact Sieve® is available with a magnetic grid sieve for ferrous contaminant removal and can be upgraded with the Vibrasonic® ultrasonic deblinding system for finer mesh operation where fine powder coatings require tighter particle size control.

Pigment Dispersion and Mixing: Silverson High Shear Mixers

Effective pigment dispersion is central to paint quality. Pigments such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) are typically supplied in powder or pre-micronised form and must be fully dispersed throughout the medium to achieve maximum opacity, gloss, and colour consistency. Conventional agitators and impeller mixers cannot generate sufficient shear to break down hard agglomerates reliably, resulting in extended processing times and variable product quality.

Silverson high shear mixers address this through a precision-engineered rotor/stator workhead that subjects material to intense mechanical shear within a small, controlled volume. The workhead rapidly disperses pigment particles into the surrounding liquid medium, breaking down agglomerates and producing a uniform, agglomerate-free dispersion in a fraction of the time required by conventional equipment.

Key benefits for paint and coatings mixing applications include:

• Faster powder incorporation — TiO₂ and other pigments are added to the aqueous or organic solvent at significantly higher rates
• Closed system operation — reduces solvent and dust emissions during powder addition and processing
• Consistent, repeatable dispersion — the high shear action is not affected by batch variation, ensuring uniform product quality across production runs
• Single machine versatility — a Silverson mixer can replace dedicated agitators, dispersers, and emulsifiers, simplifying the process line

Beyond TiO₂, Silverson mixers are used across a range of chemical and coatings mixing applications including paper coatings, adhesive preparation, pigment paste manufacture for textile dyeing, and the production of inks and dyes. The range spans laboratory-scale units through to large-volume inline and batch production systems, allowing manufacturers to develop formulations at bench scale and transfer them directly to full production without reformulation.

Advanced Packaging Systems: Paint and Coatings Equipment for New Zealand Manufacturers

APS supplies Russell Finex sieving and filtration equipment and Silverson high shear mixers to manufacturers across New Zealand’s food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and industrial sectors. For paint and coatings producers, this means access to proven filtration, screening, and mixing solutions backed by decades of industry application experience from the equipment manufacturers themselves.

Contact APS to discuss your specific process requirements or to arrange an on-site consultation.