SATAjet K 1800 spray mix in use at Zimmermann Uhrengehaeuse GmbH
SATAjet K 1800 spray mix in use at Zimmermann Uhrengehaeuse GmbH
As a family-operated business, Zimmermann Uhrengehäuse GmbH has been manufacturing various types of wooden clock cases since 1938 and is currently in its third generation. As a sculptor and woodcarver, his grandfather had already specialised in the production of special clock cases. This continues to be an important product segment for the company to this day. The product range also includes displays and presentation furniture for jewellery manufacturers as well as boxes and caskets of all kinds and individual special orders.
Almost all the products are made of solid wood. Notker Zimmermann and his team handle all of the work, from design to finished product. This means that any finishing of surfaces is also carried out in-house. The surfaces are treated and finished in different ways, depending on the product and the type of wood used. Oils, stains and waxes as well as water-based and 2-component varnishes are used. Of the 18 employees, two work as painters who carry out the actual painting of the products, using SATA spray guns.
Zimmermann Uhrengehäuse GmbH combines tradition with modern production technology. The craftsmanship and know-how also flows into the use of modern woodworking machines. Various machines such as two 5-axis CNC milling machines, CNC lathes and rotary transfer machines are used to process the wood. The products are distributed via a fixed customer base in the respective product area.
Interview with Notker Zimmermann, Managing Director of Zimmermann Uhrengehaeuse GmbH:
1. What do you like most about your work?
As a passionate woodcraft enthusiast, I love nothing more than working with solid wood. Wood is a natural, versatile material that can be transformed into countless end products. Each type of wood has its own special characteristics and properties and, due to its nature, can be used and refined in an optimal way.
2. Why is it so important to paint/coat the surfaces of your pieces?
The surface treatment protects the wood, shows it off to its best advantage and improves the way it feels.
3. What needs to be taken into account when varnishing wooden workpieces?
With clock cases, it’s not easy to paint the insides in an optimal way. Enough varnish needs to be applied to make the surfaces smooth, and to not leave any rough spots. At the same time, you have to take care not to apply too much material, or you run the risk of creating “paint tears”.
4. Which SATA spray guns do you use?
We use different kinds of SATA spray guns. For fillers and top coats, we use a variety of guns. From the SATAjet 4000 B to the digital version of the SATAjet 5000 B, you can also find the SATAjet X 5500 in our paint shop, which is particularly well-suited for us to apply high-quality finishes with high-gloss paint.
Recently we also started using the SATAjet K 1800 spray mix, which we mainly use to coat solid wood with clear coat.
5. Which products/surfaces do you coat using the ultra high pressure SATAjet K 1800 spray mix gun?
We use the SATAjet K 1800 spray mix to paint table tops and clock cases. We also like to use this spray gun for various small parts that we need to paint in large quantities. Thanks to the "spray mix technology", we can coat larger quantities quickly and with little overspray. The external material supply through the connection to a material pump also plays a decisive part when we need to handle large item quantities. We don’t need to constantly refill material, and it’s much more convenient to work without cups.
6. What is it you appreciate most about this spray gun?
Due to the ergonomic design, the spray gun is easy to hold. The additional option of using a swivel joint to connect the gun to a flexible hose pair for both material and air connection is optimal for our purposes. These advantages combined with the spray gun’s low weight allow our painters to paint flexibly while experiencing less fatigue.
As I mentioned, we also use the SATAjet K 1800 spray mix specifically to paint large quantities of small parts, in which case we use a comparatively small nozzle size. For us, the advantage of the spray mix technology is the flexible adjustment of the jet dimension and the air pressure.
7. How time-consuming is it to clean and maintain the spray gun?
So far, we’ve processed about five tons of coating material using the SATAjet K 1800 spray mix. Usually, blockages can be eliminated quite easily with the nozzle cleaning kit, without the need for needles or cleaning brushes. We clean the nozzle daily and the filter at regular, short intervals, depending on the paint material used. Maintenance in terms of replacing parts hasn’t been necessary so far, which indicates long maintenance intervals.
8. What are your requirements for a good spray gun?
For us, good and simple handling of the spray gun as well as flexible application possibilities are important. In addition to that, the ability to adjust certain characteristics are important to us, for example the spray control so that the nozzles don’t necessarily need to be changed. And of course a spray gun also has to be able to ensure a clean painting result.
9. What is it you appreciate most about SATA spray guns?
SATA spray guns represent top quality, and beyond that we appreciate the good service provided by SATA and our SATA dealer. Spare parts are still available for years after we've purchased a spray gun, and repairs are also possible at any time.
Zimmermann Uhrengehäuse GmbH combines tradition with modern production technology.
With clock cases, it’s not easy to paint the insides in an optimal way.
SATAjet K 1800 spray mix
The lightweight gun in this spray gun class with its well-balanced gun body combines an optimised ergonomic design with a finely-tuned nozzle range and with the innovative clampLock paint needle system.