Nastroflex News. Technical commercial newsletter. to meet the needs of different industries: woodworking, painted wood, metal, tanning, etc.

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1 Technical commercial newsletter 1 A practical technical newsletter Dear Customer, JANUARY 2013 Summary Dear Customer, CSIL predictions for the furniture market in 2013 A full house for our meeting with companies in the Wood- Furniture trade Only the best for solid wood: the caress of F248A Constantly excellent finishes with 621 L312T AS: a product that smoothes, smoothes, smoothes has been set up to provide a useful communication tool collecting in an orderly style all the technical information our company wishes to pass on to its customers. This house journal is structured into a number of sections; the main ones are briefly presented below. In the area dedicated to Applications we describe our products designed to meet the needs of different industries: woodworking, painted wood, metal, tanning, etc. Useful Advice is a window offering general practical tips, particularly to avoid the problems that can occur at certain times of the year when using abrasives. In the section Meeting Industry we present the most interesting subjects and analyses arising from a series of technical meetings with people from different industries that apply flexible abrasives. Enjoy reading Nastroflex News and don t miss the next number. Italo Rossetto Sales Director (The top photo shows an image of the 2013 calendar/ triptych, available on request) C832S: results and economy Nastroflex for the metalwork industry Ceramic oxide on Y498D will not burn surfaces Y988D and R205: a cool pair of aces for steel From Brazil: ProIndustria Careful storage yields more INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

2 Studies and research CSIL predictions for the furniture market in 2013 Of the many industries in which Nastroflex operates, the wood/ furniture supply chain is especially important for our company. The industrial district where Nastroflex is based, in the heart of North East Italy, is the main area for furniture production in Italy. It houses thousands of large and small companies employed in processing wood, metal, leather, plastic and using Nastroflex abrasives. For this very reason in Milan on 23 November 2012 Nastroflex sponsored the 30th edition of a seminar to predict the future situation for furniture markets, organized by CSIL the Light Industry Study Centre, the main Italian institute specializing in analyses for this industry. In this number we show some of the salient data resulting from the CSIL analyses, based on over 800 historic series monitored and over 2000 interviews with businesses, operators, dealers and consumers to comprehend the scenario we can expect in The macroeconomic picture for the three-year period 2013/15 In reporting its predictions the CSIL supposed the international situation to be as follows. The world economy is slowly growing and features greater dynamism in emerging nations than a- dvanced economies. In particular, in 2013 global GDP will increase by 3.6%. Advanced economies will experience increases of 1.5% and the emerging nations 5.6%. There remain risks of a worse result than the current forecasts (Table 1) due to the situation in the euro zone and uncertainty about whether the United States can solve its fiscal cliff (simultaneous tax increases and public spending cuts at the beginning of 2013). Also in the medium term the prospects of growth in emerging nations are favourable. The world furniture market Global consumption of furniture assessed at production price is a- round 410 billion US dollars. The main furniture importing countries are the United States, Germany, France and the UK. China increased its exports from 25 billion dollars in 2009 to 45 billion dollars in The other important exporters of furniture are Germany, Italy and Poland. Modest growth is predicted for world furniture sales in 2012 and 2013, after a big drop in 2009 and recovery in 2010 and The forecasts for variations in real terms of furniture demand in the main geographical areas are shown in graph 1, which indicates a fall in Western Europe, but growth exceeding 3% for the world, particularly due to the contribution of emerging nations. ( Table 1 GDP trend. Annual percentage changes at constant prices GDP World 3,3 3,6 4,2 4,4 GDP Leading countries 1,3 1,5 2,3 2,6 GDP Emerging countries 5,3 5,6 5,9 6,1 Source: IMF Chart 1 Furniture consumption forecast by zone in Annual percentage changes at constant prices Europa Occidentale Nord America Europa Centro Orientale e Russia Medio Oriente e Africa Sud America Asia e Pacifico Mondo Source: CSIL -2% -1% 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 2

3 Meeting Industry A full house for our meeting with companies in the WoodFurniture trade Recently an event took place in which 50 companies in the WoodFurniture trade visited our facilities. The meeting was dedicated to the presentation of research into the near future of processes, materials and finishes carried out by Modula, a consulting company. The results of the survey helped us to create the Progetto Incontri Tecnici (Technical Meetings Project) with which Nastroflex intends to provide companies with increased knowledge of those technical aspects of using abrasives that make a difference to improving end Our heartfelt thanks go to those customers who honoured us by visiting our workshops; for many of them it was the first time and their interest in our company was very gratifying. products and their competitiveness. The meetings will be organized as small work groups dealing with a single subject and scheduled according to the needs expressed by a sample of over 150 companies interviewed by us. Presentation of the research: many subjects will be dealt with in future technical meetings. One of the production lines for wide belts: great interest shown in the explanation of the cutting and joining operations. Special thanks also go to Nastroflex staff, who made these homemade meeting possible without losing a single minute of their daily duties dedicated to satisfying our customers. Here s to the next meeting! Gianluca Pellicciari Managing Director Factory tour: the sorting area for jumbo rolls, huge rolls of abrasive material ready to be made into belts and other formats required by customers. 7 p.m. on Friday: everything s ready to start full operation in the jumbo roll cutting and joining shop on Monday morning. 3

4 Applications on untreated wood Only the best for solid wood: the caress of F248A For some time now the surfaces of wooden furniture produced in northern Europe have been soft and velvety to the touch, thanks to F248A. Designed for use on resinous wood, F248A is also widely employed for counter grain finishes on hardwood or veneers. For these applications its carborundum mineral with high cutting power, shaves the fibre without it being raised from the paint. When processing solid wood panels for kitchen furniture doors the composition of F248A and its gradual coating have solved the problem of scratches on door crosspieces, as in the final stage it replaces the traditional closed coating aluminium oxide product. The F weight backing ensures e- xcellent response on high pressure and heavy duty jobs. The full range of grit sizes comes in antistatic versions which help to achieve optimum finishes. There are few carborundum products on paper, as it is difficult to achieve uniform quality; over the years F248A has been the best of this type of product. Applications on painted wood Constantly excellent finishes with 621 The latest arrival at Nastroflex is called 621. It is designed for use on polyurethane or polyester painted surfaces to give doors a glossy finish, directly or after polish brushing. 621 is the right balance between backing and grit for abrasive paper that provides a uniform finish with narrow or wide belts. The choice of grit sizes covers all work stages for these types of finishes. Due to its resistance to elongation, the D weight backing in que- stion ensures flatness with both narrow and wide belts. A flat backing ensures even coating of the abrasive, which provides an excellent finish. Using 1500 grit for the final process makes it possible to reduce post sanding polishing times. 621 should be used with low pressure and, where possible, sanding marks should be crossed using the finer grit sizes on cross belt machines. In processing MDF panels for kitchen furniture 621 has been successful in solving the problem of non-homogeneous scratches due to the excessive difference in grit sizes used during the previous cycle, and this has significantly improved the product and reduced rejects. Compared to other products on the market the 621 backing is far less affected by sudden changes in climate and humidity which can create scratches on the doors due to cupping. 4

5 Applications on brushed glossy finishes L312T AS: a product that smoothes, smoothes, smoothes L312T AS is a product on PET film (polyethylene terephthalate), the narrow belt format of which is used to prepare UV polyester painted surfaces before they are brushed with abrasive paste and polish. Its innovative feature is the use of suitably mixed abrasive grits bonded with a new formula resin to an exclusive film backing. These elements make it possible to exclude the possibility of the abrasive composition detaching from the bonding surface and stop the backing from tearing. Due to this film, which has an absolutely flat surface, the abrasive grits develop evenly distributed action which gives perfect smoothness to the entire surface. In addition, the film is not sensitive to variations in environmental humidity and can therefore be stored without problems. L312T AS allows more uniform consumption of the abrasive, without the scratches and scoring traditional products can cause due to irregularities, and with a much longer average life than conventional products. The special treatment of the film on L312T AS makes it possible to have the belt in direct contact with the abrasive pad and the panel involved, without interposing Velcro or shock absorbing material (found on similar products), which would nullify the perfect smoothness ensured by the flatness of the backing. This makes L312T AS particularly suitable for hard surfaces where its extraordinary durability is underlined by the quality of the finish. Applications on brushed glossy finishes C832S: results and economy C832S is an aluminium oxide stearate product applied to a C weight paper backing, designed to prepare flat surfaces painted with polyurethane products before brushing with abrasive paste and polish. Available for some years in grit si- zes from P40 to P800, today the C832S range has been extended to include even finer grit, up to P1500, to enhance processing of particularly delicate surfaces painted with soft polyurethane paints that typically tend to clog abrasive belts. Stearate coating is a process which adds stearate to the abrasive surface to protect against clogging and aid cooling during the work stage, thereby increasing the duration and consistency of the finish involved. Due to these characteristics the major strong point of C832S lies in its excellent performance:cost ratio. 5

6 Applications on metal Nastroflex for the metalwork industry Nastroflex has a wide range of products for the metal industry, which deserve a good presentation. We have drawn up the adjacent table to guide users through a double reading. Products indicated as Specific are specially designed to achieve great performance in the relative applications in terms of productivity and quality in high value added products. Those indicated as Multipurpose meet the need to cover different uses without necessarily having a vast range of articles. Performance is good or excellent in most uses, and management costs are kept down. Below is a brief glossary of the applications shown in the table. Deburring: fine elimination or removal of material (indicatively with grit sizes 24 to 80) Grinding: reduction of roughness deriving from the previous operation (grit sizes ) Sanding: matt finish (grit sizes ) Superfinishing: finishing of preparation for chrome-plating or polishing (grit sizes ) 6

7 Applications on alloy steel Ceramic oxide on Y498D will not burn surfaces Y498D is a latest generation ceramic aluminium oxide product spread onto a strong polyester fabric, designed above all to deburr or smooth welds on parts in extra hard steel. It is used by specialists in deburring and cleaning metal and companies that process cast aluminium. Ceramic aluminium oxide is the most recent of the abrasive grits: introduced at the beginning of the 1980s aluminium oxide and carborundum were invented at the end of the 19th century it is replacing zirconium dioxide products due to its greater durability and cutting speed. Cutting at high speeds generates lots of heat, so Y498D is provided with an additive, that is to say a substance is applied to the surface to absorb the heat generated by friction resulting from contact between the abrasive and the part being worked. This substance is used to avoid the risk of ruining the treated surfaces, as happens, for example with stainless steel, on which a typical blue burn stain appears that ruins the part irreparably. Due to this characteristic and the robust cloth backing, problems of elongation and torn belts are practically nil and Y498D guarantees a consistent finish and good durability. Above: view through the microscope of the ceramic oxide grit macrostructure, grit size 36. The 500 micron (0.5mm) Applications on chrome-plated metal Y988D and R205: a cool pair of aces for steel Y988D and R205 are products made up of a mix of zirconium dioxide and aluminium oxide applied to a Y weight polyester backing. They are particularly suitable for weld smoothing and roughing. They can also be used for processing iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminium and titanium alloys. The two abrasives contain variable quantities of cryolite. Cryolite is a mineral used as an additive also in foundries to lower melting temperature or give precise characteristics to the product involved. R205 contains a good percentage distributed in the resin, whereas Y988D has a third layer of coating on top of the abrasive grit. This third layer makes it possible to dry smooth stainless steel as it lowers the surface temperature of the smoothed part, avoiding the formation of the blue burn stain typical of stainless steel that irreparably spoils the look of the product involved. R205 and Y988D are available with grit sizes 24 to 120 and due to the strength of their backings are ideal for high pressure processing. Below: radiant element with welds smoothed by R205 #80 7

8 Our worldwide customers From Brazil: ProIndustria Recently Messrs Carlos and Osmar Luis Mendes, owners of ProIndustria, visited our facilities to discuss the 2013 sales plan, which includes widening the range of Nastroflex paper and cloth backed products, which ProIndustria has been importing and distributing throughout Brazil for many years. from its facilities in the state of Rio Grande, one of the most important production areas in Brazil. Below: ProIndustria at the São Paulo Trade Fair, Brazil. The South American giant is investing heavily in Italian machines, equipment and technologies and for its furniture manufacturing companies Nastroflex abrasives are an ideal point of reference. ProIndustria is one of the major wide belt converters and its sales network covers the entire country Useful tips Careful storage yields more Storage conditions are one of the most important factors affecting the performance of flexible abrasives, which provide maximum efficiency when they are stored and handled properly. The backings and some of the bonding used in their manufacture are sensitive to climate change and absorb or lose humidity according to the relative humidity of the surrounding environment. Excess humidity causes glue to soften and the abrasive grit tends to drop down to the backing rather than penetrate into the part being worked. Not enough humidity leads to a loss of flexibility, making the abrasive difficult to use. The ideal conditions for storage are a temperature between 18 and 22 C and relative humidity of 45% to 65%. Do not place flexible abrasives on concrete floors and keep them away from sources of steam, hot air ducts and radiators. Keep out of direct sunlight. Above: inside the Nastroflex robotized warehouse at Ponte di Piave Nastroflex Spa Via delle Industrie, Levada di Ponte di Piave (Treviso) ITALY Tel Fax nastroflex@nastroflex.it Web: Issued in copies 8