Reading Upgrades Lectro-Life Process

June 1, 2001
Reading Body Works has completed its third-generation Lectro-Life immersion priming system. In 1987, Reading began use of electrocathodic priming and

Reading Body Works has completed its third-generation Lectro-Life immersion priming system. In 1987, Reading began use of electrocathodic priming and has continued to upgrade it. After almost two years of construction, the newest Lectro-Life system is in full operation and performing smoothly.

In the Lectro-Life process, bodies are submerged in a vat of electrically charged primer. Lectro-Life can process bodies up to 150" long, enclosed bodies of all types, and stake platforms up to 26 feet long.

The system uses an automotive continuous-dip handling system that eliminates the need for an operator to attend controls and requires less maintenance by eliminating all drop beams, cables, and hydraulic systems. It consists of seven large tanks with a combined capacity of nearly 600,000 gallons. A roof-mounted oven cures bodies, baking them to ensure a fully cured finish. In the future, another section of this oven will be used to bake powdercoated products including stake racks and toolboxes.