Powder coating is the process of applying a coating to metal or other materials electrostatically. The coating is cured under high degrees of heat to allow it to flow better and form a skin that covers the part to be coated. Most of the time, these coating temperatures exceed 390 degrees.
Of course, whenever you’re working with such high temperatures, it’s important you take certain factors into consideration before throwing these parts into the powder coater. After all, you don’t want to end up ruining a batch of parts simply because you were careless with your processes.
With this in mind, here are some of the dos and don’ts you should know about powder coating in Washington:
- DO: Remove all ball joints from both the upper and lower control arms. This is an important process to make sure the coating is applied evenly and those joints aren’t permanently damaged. Failure to remove those ball joints will add to your expense and require you to make a lot of repairs and replacements.
- DO: Remove all rod ends and bushings from both upper and lower control arms and upper and lower rear links. Again, this is simply part of the powder coating process, and you should never forget to remove these parts before proceeding.
- DON’T: Expect the powder coater to disassemble and reassemble everything for you. This is why we mentioned removing those joints, rod ends and bushings right off the bat—there’s no guarantee the powder coater will do it for you, so it’s important that you take the time to do it yourself.
- DO: Plug all threaded holes with silicone plugs. You don’t want to compromise that threading with the powder coating process. The powder coater is often able to provide these silicone plugs or high heat tape—but make sure you ask before assuming this is the case.
- DO: Use either sand or media blasting before coating. This will make the finish more durable and longer lasting, so it’s an important part of the powder coating process, even if it happens before the actual powder coating occurs. This process should include the rear end housing in addition to the other parts.
- DO: Mask off all housing end faces and third member gasket surfaces.
- DON’T: Assume anything. Every powder coater is different in terms of the services they do and do not offer and in terms of what is and is not included with those services.
- DO: Ask as many questions as you need to of your powder coater to ensure you know exactly what to expect out of your job. This will potentially save you a whole lot of money in the long run.
These are just a few tips to keep in mind as you prepare for powder coating in Washington. For more information about the powder coating process, how you can get the best results out of it and how you can set yourself up for success in your next job, contact Powder Vision Inc. today.