In the world of coated aluminum, color is never just an aesthetic choice. It is a technical reference, a production standard, and a commercial tool. It must remain consistent, repeatable, and reliable over time.
It is precisely on this balance between aesthetics and process that MDM Campionari has built its industrial identity. The company, specialized in the production of aluminum color fan decks and sample collections, has been operating in the sector for more than fifteen years and is now recognized as one of the leading European manufacturers of professional color support systems for powder coating producers, window and door manufacturers, and companies operating in the world of solar shading systems, pergolas, and architectural aluminum solutions.
MDM’s story began in an almost artisanal way, inside a home garage, thanks to the initiative of Giuseppe Stallo. Starting from an initial laser customization business, the company rapidly evolved through a clear strategic decision: investing in color sample collections as a product with high technical and perceptual value, capable of representing the visual identity of entire production lines.
Today, MDM operates a 1,200 m² production facility that fully integrates powder coating lines with rapid color change systems, five-stage pretreatment, cutting, assembly, engraving, and printing. A complete manufacturing structure that allows the company to maintain high quality standards and fast response times. But in 2024, a fundamental strategic step was taken: the complete internalization of several critical production phases.
The Collaboration with ALIT Technologies
For MDM, the goal was not simply purchasing equipment. The objective was to gain greater process control, reduce dependency on external subcontracting, and improve quality consistency and operational speed. In other words: transforming quality from a final result into a fully controlled industrial system. This is the context in which the collaboration with ALIT Technologies was born.
The project initially started with the implementation of dedicated pretreatment solutions for aluminum and steel, before evolving into the introduction of a compact chemical immersion stripping system. Two processes often considered “secondary,” but which actually represent the technical core of industrial coating operations. Because high-performance coating never depends solely on powder or curing ovens. It depends above all on surface preparation.
Pretreatment: The Real Foundation of Quality
Pretreatment is the most critical phase of the entire coating cycle. A properly prepared surface guarantees adhesion, uniformity, corrosion resistance, and long-term durability of the finish. On the contrary, inadequate preparation can compromise the entire production cycle, generating defects such as peeling, blistering, detachment, or surface irregularities.
The system implemented by MDM includes several dedicated stages designed to achieve perfectly clean, activated, and uniform surfaces. The first phase consists of degreasing and pickling, necessary to remove oils, grease, and surface contaminants that would compromise paint adhesion. The process is carried out using acid-based products, high-efficiency solutions, and combined phospho-degreasing treatments.
This is followed by multiple rinsing stages to completely eliminate chemical residues from the surface. The cycle concludes with a final rinse using demineralized water, essential for obtaining a neutral surface free from residual salinity and ready for the next production phase.
For steel and iron components, MDM uses traditional iron and zinc phosphating systems capable of creating an ideal microstructure for paint anchoring. For aluminum and light alloys, however, the company adopted a nanotechnology-based approach using zirconium and titanium conversion coatings. A choice that allows more stable process parameters, lower consumption, reduced environmental impact, and greater coating durability over time.
Paint Stripping as a Strategic Process
Alongside pretreatment, chemical paint stripping also became a key element of the project developed together with ALIT Technologies.
Often perceived as a simple recovery activity, paint stripping in more advanced manufacturing companies is actually a strategic quality process. Proper stripping means recovering defective components without compromising their integrity, avoiding waste and expensive rework, preserving geometries and dimensional tolerances, and restoring substrates to optimal conditions for recoating.
For MDM, this aspect was particularly important: the aesthetic and surface precision required in the world of color sample collections leaves no room for compromise. For this reason, the company chose to implement an immersion chemical paint stripping system that is more conservative than traditional sandblasting, making it ideal for components requiring high precision and strict surface control.
An additional advantage also concerns the management of coating hooks and hangers. Continuous cleaning of these elements improves contact quality between the support and the coated part, ensuring electrostatic continuity and greater production process stability.
From Equipment Installation to a New Business Line
The installation and commissioning of the system were managed through close collaboration between MDM and ALIT Technologies, fully respecting the planned timelines and without significant operational issues. This allowed the company to accurately plan personnel training, the startup of the new production department, and the gradual transition from outsourced processes to fully internalized operations.
At the same time, MDM also began developing commercial and marketing activities related to the new pretreatment and stripping services, progressively expanding its offering within the local market.
In a short period of time, pretreatment, stripping, and coating became a strategic business line for the company. Not only because they were perfectly integrated with the production of color sample collections, but because they successfully addressed new manufacturing demands through a model based on speed, precision, and quality control.
Conclusion
For ALIT Technologies, projects such as the one developed together with MDM Campionari represent the concrete meaning of its mission: bringing chemical and plant engineering technology into real manufacturing processes, helping companies build higher industrial quality, stronger operational control, and new growth opportunities.
Because in the industrial coating sector, final quality does not originate only from the finish itself. It starts much earlier. It begins with surface preparation, process control, and the ability to transform every production phase into a real competitive advantage.
