As one of the largest architectural paints and coatings manufacturers, Dunn-Edwards provides people across the country with environmentally-conscious, safe and reliable paint. The Dunn-Edwards state-of-the-art production and distribution facility in Phoenix, AZ, upholds that legacy by manufacturing, transporting and mixing over 15 million gallons of high-quality paint annually.
Safely and efficiently producing these paints and coatings requires pumping technology that can handle aggressive fluids in a shear-sensitive manner. To ensure the safety of plant personnel and the efficiency of the operation, these critical applications require pumping technology that is leak-free and reliable. This is especially true when latex – a complex emulsion consisting of polymer microparticles contained in an aqueous medium – is involved.
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For the Dunn-Edwards facility, the pump of choice for ensuring its production operations meet the company’s reliability and environmental-sensibility requirements are air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps from Wilden®. Wilden AODD pumps have been proven to excel when handling paint components thanks to a unique design that offers the highest degree of flexibility and performance in terms of reliability, product-loss prevention, environmental protection and energy efficiency. In addition, Wilden AODD pumps are easy to maintain, self-priming, dry-run capable, and deliver a shear-sensitive operation that is mandatory when working with these components.
In August 2020, Phoenix Pumps, a long-time distributor for Wilden, offered Dunn-Edwards an opportunity to explore operational cost savings by assessing alternative AODD pump diaphragm options. Dunn-Edwards was using Wilden EZ-Install Diaphragms, which provide great benefits in terms of chemical compatibility as well as safe and easy installation. However, due to the aggressive nature of latex, these diaphragms were still being replaced every six to eight months.
With nearly 200 AODD pumps, divided between 1”, 2” and 3” (25-76 mm) variants, Bill Murphy, Technical Field Specialist for Phoenix Pumps, knew Wilden had a solution, the Chem-Fuse Diaphragm, to increase the mean time between repair (MTBR) for the AODD pumps within the Dunn-Edwards’ operation. 
The one-piece, zero-adhesive design of the Chem-Fuse Diaphragm perfectly complements the high demand of the facility’s AODD pumps because they have been engineered to hold up against acids, caustics and other aggressive fluids such as latex. Chem-Fuse Diaphragms feature a design that eliminates the need for an outer piston, a common leak point in traditional pie-shaped diaphragms that create a trap area for product buildup and can wear over time, especially when pumping abrasive fluids. Chem-Fuse offers a safe, clean, reliable product transfer with no product entrapment areas to minimize product contamination and risk liabilities, ultimately increasing diaphragm life. Available in Wil-Flex material in 1” (25 mm), 1-1/2” (38 mm), 2” (51 mm), 3” (76 mm) and 4” (102 mm) sizes, Chem-Fuse offers up to 100% increased flow and suction lift compared to other reduced-stroke IPDs. Chem-Fuse Diaphragms are also easy to install and clean for faster changeovers.
The pumps outfitted with Chem-Fuse exceeded one year of operation (eight hours per day, five days per week). Operating relatively trouble-free, the pumps equipped with Chem-Fuse have improved Dunn-Edwards’ operation by increasing the service life of the pumps, requiring fewer service hours, minimal maintenance downtime and costly draining cycles.
Read the
case study to learn more about how Wilden AODD pumps equipped with Chem-Fuse Diaphragms have helped optimize the paint-manufacturing operation for Dunn-Edwards.