Industrial finishing is a crucial component of the manufacturing process. The right finish can seal components and protect them from environmental hazards as well as accidental damage. However, many manufacturers never give it a second thought. They simply send their products to their trusted provider and wait for the final results. As such, they may not understand all that goes into it. There’s much more to these coatings than simply spraying paint onto a surface. Here is an overview of what the entire procedure looks like.
Cleaning and Pretreatment
Before anything can be applied, the surface must be cleaned and pretreated. This ensures that the coatings will adhere properly. Typically, zinc phosphate is used to treat components, but there are other options available. Using high-powered blasting equipment, existing finishes and other unwanted materials are removed.
Powder Coating
Powder coating involves specialized facilities and equipment. Unlike typical paints, these coatings are applied dry. Using electrostatic treatment, a magnetic field is created that attracts the powder to the component’s surface. Once it is coated, it is cured under high-strength heat lamps. The resulting finish tends to be tougher than conventional types of paint. This is because it doesn’t require a solvent to create a suspension as with traditional liquid finishes. This allows it to be applied at greater thicknesses.
Spray Paint
At first glance, industrial spray paint operations may not appear to be any different in concept than using cans from the hardware store. Nonetheless, this process can be much more complicated, and it needs to be. Finishing companies may use automated systems to get a complete and even coat. Precision is essential because the parts being painted may be very small or intricate. The paint itself also frequently features much higher tolerances than the kind available commercially. Often, manufacturers have exacting requirements that coatings have to meet, which requires special formulations.
Compared to painting around the house, industrial finishing might appear to be excessively complicated. Yet this process requires precise techniques and highly specialized materials to produce the best overall results. Multiple industries depend on these processes to keep their equipment in its best condition for as long as possible. For this reason, the contract finishing industry is a crucial partner for manufacturers of virtually all types.