Tobaldini Spa is a specialized, highly qualified company providing metal surface treatments to businesses across the industrial manufacturing sector.
Advanced industrial technology combined with craftsmanship has always set Tobaldini apart in the market, with consistent success. The numbers keep growing: 2 production sites, more than 70 years of experience, 23 types of metal treatment and over 100 employees.
The main site is in Altavilla Vicentina, with a second plant in Gambugliano, a district of Sovizzo, where one of our metal cleaning systems is installed: a KP 800 HMA washing machine. That’s how we met the Tobaldini family, which, like so many companies, has a long story to tell. Theirs began in 1950.
“We provide metal surface treatments from A to Z, from silver plating to zinc plating. That covers everything related to corrosion protection (zinc plating, zinc-aluminum flake coatings), aesthetics (chrome plating), electrical conductivity (tin and silver plating) and increased surface hardness (hard chrome and electroless nickel plating),” explains Adam Tobaldini, grandson of founder Giovanni, known to everyone as Gianni.
Tobaldini is going through a successful generational transition. Since its founding in the postwar years, the company has grown under the leadership and hands-on involvement of the family: first Giovanni, then Maurizio and Laura Tobaldini, and now the third generation, Andrea, his brother Adam and their cousins Francesco and Alberto Pigatto.
At the Gambugliano plant, the company applies zinc-aluminum flake coatings, specifically GEOMET and ZINTEK, which are closer to painting than to electroplating. This is why parts must be perfectly clean: the surface has to be free of impurities, fingerprints and the stains that sometimes remain after degreasing. A high level of cleanliness is essential for the next step, blasting, which leaves the surface slightly rough so the component can “grip” before the coating itself is applied.
“We need to clean parts weighing just a few grams, processed in barrels on one of our two lines, as well as parts weighing up to 80 kg, processed on racks on the automatic spray line. These include automotive components, cableway system parts, screws and bolts, assorted small parts and turned parts. Our cleaning requirements are therefore many and far from standard.
We got to know the KP 800 before buying it, because IFP Europe gave us the chance to run cleaning tests in the field. Seeing the machine in action made it easier to choose the right model. Being able to “try it out” before buying was a real added value.
Environmental impact was another reason we chose systems designed and built by IFP Europe. We were coming from perchloroethylene solvent degreasing, an outdated technology that, while still effective, risks facing heavy restrictions as European regulations on hazardous chemicals tighten.
With a machine that loads and cleans quickly, we’ve been able to increase productivity. We can now load up to 1,000 kg, though to be safe we stay at 800, depending on the type, volume and shape of the parts. In the same cycle time of about 20-22 minutes, we can load almost three times as much material, which makes the work much simpler and saves time. The machine also has a roller conveyor with five stations, one basket going in and four waiting, so the math is easy: we have one dedicated operator, eight hours a day, who prepares the baskets by picking material from the warehouse according to the work lists and loads them onto the conveyor.
Since there’s no need to wait for one basket to come out before loading the next, a whole series of idle times has been eliminated, boosting efficiency.
Last but not least, using modified alcohols in a machine equipped with the latest safety systems means lower risk for operators.
Another advantage of the KP 800 is that it reveals issues caused by poor surface preparation before the product is shipped to the customer. Cleaning brings those problems to light, giving us reliable and very useful feedback.”