COOLRIDES IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING TESTING WITH SOME
OF THE MAJOR POWDER MANUFACTURERS TO RECIEVE
ASTM B117 CERTS.
Powder coating is the process of coating a surface in which a powder material is applied using an electrostatic or compressed air method, or sometimes a fluidized bed.
The applied powder is then heated (cured) in an oven to its melting point, after which it flows to form a smooth film which dries to a firm, durable finish very resistent to scratches, cracking, peeling, UV rays and rust.
The entire powder coating process involves several steps. This is a quick description:
after determining the substrate we are working with, we will begin with the cleaning step - abrasive blasting or chemical cleaning - to insure the substrate is free of any oils, dirt, rust, mill scale, etc;
The substrate must be fully cleaned to avoid defects
a pretreatment step (an important step not done by all coaters) during which the product is treated with a pretreatment chemical or conversion coating, phosphate , to further protect it and improve the surface for powder adherence;
rinse, rinse, rinse..
After the part has been thoroughly rinsed it is chemically sealed
The areas you don't want coated will be masked. This is done with high temperature tapes specially designed for powder coating, and/or caps and plugs.
The items are then placed on a rack where they are ready to be coated .
Choosing the right coating for each application and end use of the item is very important. A variety of powders exist to choose from depending on the type item you will have coated.
The parts will then be powder coated using an electrostatic gun inside a powder booth
finally, the part will FULLY cure in the convection oven
