The SME g.pivaudran has invested in a major new facility to boost productivity and make its processes more virtuous. Visit the new anodizing line, representing an investment of over 7.5 million euros.
g.pivaudran's huge new automated anodizing line, with its 80 tanks and 12 coloring baths, is impressive, enabling the parts entrusted to it to be processed in a continuous, end-to-end cycle, without raw and finished parts crossing paths.
Anodizing is a surface treatment designed to decorate an aluminum part by anodic oxidation. Through a succession of chemical and electrolytic baths, a uniform, resistant layer of aluminum oxide - colorless or colored - is deposited.
This new, modern line is designed to double the company's production capacity, replacing the aging anodizing lines currently used by the Lot-based SME. It incorporates the same processing stages as the conventional lines, but with enhanced functions for greater responsiveness and the ability to adapt to projects of any scale.
Water and energy savings are also planned. "On this new line, we have increased the number of rinsing functions in order to reduce our water consumption. Today on this line, almost all our treatment stages are followed by three rinses (whereas we were limited to two rinses on our old anodizing lines), with automatically controlled water additions carried out only when necessary. Lids on all heated tanks limit water evaporation. Our aim is to produce twice as much with the same water consumption".says Romain Rouges, surface treatment workshop manager at g.pivaudran.
A line that takes environmental considerations into account
What about energy consumption? Tank lids limit heat loss, with heat loss also reduced thanks to tank insulation. To bring the tanks up to the right temperature, boilers heat exchangers (which will be supplied in 2026 by Souillac's new wood-fired heating network). Some baths, which need to be heated to over 55°C, are fitted with immersion heaters. Level probes for these baths have been doubled.
A 70,000 m3/h suction process has also been installed, and an energy recovery system preheats the suctioned air. Suction sensors capture the vapors emitted by the baths in an optimized manner.
With this new line, operators no longer handle 25 kg bags of chemicals (non CMR - "carcinogenic and/or mutagenic and/or toxic to reproduction"), as the tanks are mainly fed by automated topping-up.
"Our investment is in line with both the company's growth strategy and that of the industry's CSR transformation. Even more virtuous production meets the new demands of the beauty market, fueled by unavoidable environmental considerations. It is the most substantial investment ever made since the creation of g.pivaudran and, in this sense, it is in line with the eco-responsible development challenges facing our sector".emphasizes Marc Pivaudran.
Currently being qualified for all g.pivaudran references, the anodizing line - designed and supplied by Spanish company Sidasa Engineering - will run in 3×8 mode. Two to four hours of treatment will be required for an anodizing cycle, depending on the required appearance. Several parts with different "recipes" can be treated at the same time.
Photo: ©AERIALstudio - Romain Daynac
Yaël Zajac
