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Owen Metals Group has opened a new Paxton & Vierling Finishing facility in Carter Lake, Iowa. The company's latest, most advanced line combines 10 years of powder coating experience at the Northern Plains Finishing division in Casselton, N.D., with the latest innovations in coating technologies, the company claimed.

"Our new PVF line significantly increases finishing capacity while reducing costs for our customers in the lower Midwest," said Tyler Owen, CEO/president of Owen Holdings Co.

The new system integrates part-specific instructions driven by barcoded hooks that travel with the parts. These hooks trigger automation, including four robots that perform custom paint applications. PVF line robots spray super-cooled powder with a technology that significantly increases the powder transfer rate. The PVF line integrates several borrowed and upgraded facets of the NPF system that have proven successful, including the 5-Stage Wash pretreatment system and a 10-gun auto paint booth.

The new PVF system features one of the lengthiest parts hanging areas of any paint line. The extended hanging space, coupled with the rise and fall of the conveyor line, allows parts to hang much closer than on a traditional monorail line, the company said.

Owen Metals Group President Keith Siebels said, "We are also pleased that the unique design of our new PVF line requires fewer team members to operate, and those working the line can be in a more comfortable position throughout the production process."