Bring Your Process Up to ATEX Standards

In processes where volatile solvents are used as raw materials, safety, precision, and repeatability carry a high degree of importance. With the turnkey solutions VOLDE develops for solvent-based resin production lines, it makes a difference in the areas of ATEX-compliant equipment, fully enclosed transfer technologies, recipe-based weighing automation, and advanced process safety

| Safety and Precision in Solvent-Based Production

Solvent-based production lines, in which soluble resin is used as a raw material, require specialized engineering solutions due to their high volatility, flammability, and process complexity. In such facilities, VOLDE brings together both closed-loop raw material feeding and safe solvent handling technologies, delivering a high safety standard, precise weighing accuracy, and full automation. The system architecture is built on continuous monitoring, maintaining process discipline, and repeatable product quality.

| ATEX-Compliant Solvent Feeding and Inertization Control

All production processes involving solvents are designed with ATEX requirements in mind. After solvent intake into the mixer tanks, the first step is to verify the tank's full leak-tightness; this check is considered critical for the tank to operate safely throughout the process.

Once leak-tightness is confirmed, the system automatically switches to inertization mode via nitrogen blanketing, and the interior of the mixer is kept under a controlled nitrogen atmosphere. The oxygen level inside the tank is monitored in real time with precise oxygen analyzers; when a rise in values is detected, the system automatically feeds in nitrogen to keep the pressure and oxygen level within a safe range. This control mechanism prevents the explosive mixtures that solvent vapors could form, while ensuring the process continues uninterrupted and safely without requiring operator intervention. This entire structure increases the overall safety of the facility in environments with a high solvent load and ensures full compliance with international ATEX requirements.

| Closed-Loop Resin Feeding via Weighed Vacuum Cyclones

The other leg of the process — feeding the soluble resin — begins with the acceptance of big-bag and bagged materials at the facility. Weighed vacuum cyclones are used to safely transfer granular resins of different types to the mixers in an environment with a volatile solvent atmosphere. This ensures that the resin does not disperse into the environment during conveying, that dust generation is reduced to near zero, and that the operator's physical contact with the material is eliminated.

Weighing is performed with extreme precision, and each resin is automatically dosed according to its quantity in the recipe; this preserves both mixture quality and minimizes human-caused errors. Thanks to the selection of ATEX-compliant equipment, resin feeding and the solvent atmosphere are safely combined within the same process. This structure ensures both the standardization of production speed and the highest level of safety in facilities working with high-risk materials.

| Similar Product Groups and Processes

With this process approach, it is possible to safely produce many chemical products obtained by dissolving resin in a solvent, modifying it, or blending it with different components.

• Solvent-based adhesives

• Specialty industrial coatings and varnish types

• Resin-modifying additives and formulation components

• Thinner derivatives and specialty solvent blends

• Chemical binders, film formers, and binding systems

• Dissolved resin intermediates for the paint/coating industry