Quality, safety and environmental values are at the heart of FSP’s operations. High quality emerges from the right materials, methods and expertise.
Sustainable development emphasized in material choices
Material quality and its development require us to actively monitor the industry and engage in international cooperation. We need all possible information about surfaces and coating materials.
FSP works closely with suppliers in Finland and abroad. Demands for eco-friendliness and sustainable development are increasingly important in the surface treatment industry as well, continuously sparking new product innovations. Some academic research, for example, has lately focused on utilizing the byproducts of wood industry in corrosion prevention.
Innovations may take some time to reach Finland.
Polyurea, for example, has been used in the United States for more than 20 years, but it is still a novelty in Finland. Research on nanotechnology has been carried out abroad for decades, and FSP is also keen on learning more about the possibilities it may open. Nanosized surface treatment materials are already used in Finland, mainly as protective and cleaning agents in industrial surface treatment.
Operators in traditional paint chemistry are also continuously improving the processing and curing speeds of products, for example.
How is robotics transforming the painting industry?
The right choice of paint alone will not guarantee high-quality surface treatment. Working methods have huge impact on the final result.
Latest new methods include the design of robotics and implementation of robotics into production. A good point of comparison and benchmark is the automotive industry which has spearheaded the use of robotics in production. Surface treatment models of the car industry are now making their way into industrial surface treatment as well.
FSP is currently investigating painting and shot blasting robots that could be used in treating small objects. The programming of robots is no longer as difficult as before, and prices of robots have come down.
Robotics can make the end-result more uniform in quality and be more cost-efficient. A robotized painting chamber, for example, will soon pay itself off.
Everything starts with people
Naturally, high quality of work also derives from the expertise and well-being of employees. Continuous learning and education are more and more important as the industry is changing rapidly.
Many production employees may worry that their jobs will soon be taken over by cost-effective robots. However, people are always needed – even if their job descriptions change. A robot does work automatically, but it will always require human understanding and supervision.
Robotics can also improve the quality of the working environment. Robots can take care of the heaviest labour, or the work phases that involve safety risks such as being exposed to hazardous metal dust or solvent fumes.
