When you need to powder coat equipment or other items, preparation is just as important as the actual coating technique. At Keystone Koating, our team uses a proven pretreatment method to prepare your business’s machinery and products for a powder coat. Without proper preparation, the coating loses durability, appears less smooth and creates a compromised bond with the metal.
Potential Impacts of Improper Preparation
Neglecting to prepare your metal, or doing that preparation improperly, can have a negative impact on your product’s appearance. Cosmetic issues like bubbles, peeling and bumps can be unappealing.
However, the complications of an incorrect preparation process can be much more serious than aesthetic flaws. One major concern is corrosion. Existing rust or residue that creates an uneven finish can cause even more problems with oxidation in the future.
The best way to protect your metal against an uneven powder coat is to address the causes of those issues before you prime the metal. At Keystone Koating, we use a proprietary preparation process to get an impressive powder coat every time.
Powder Coating Surface Preparation
The powder coating preparation process your metal needs depends on its quality, condition and type. We’ve designed our process to prepare any order in the most thorough and efficient way. Take a look at our process:
1. Eight-Stage Pretreatment
Our unique eight-stage pretreatment process uses a variety of cleansers, rinses, coatings and sealants to remove any remaining residue and prepare the metal for coating. These steps improve the metal’s ability to bond with the powder coating later.
Removing contaminants and debris like dust, oils (including pickled and oiled materials), and liquids ensures the surface is as pristine as possible for the primer and powder coating to adhere to and bond with.
2. Blasting
At Keystone Koating, we blast with steel grit or aluminum oxide abrasives on various metals as a cost-effective cleaning solution. Blasting removes rust, cleans away residue and makes old finishes or evidence of rough welding disappear.
FAQ: Do You Need to Sand Before Powder Coating?
Since Keystone Koating uses abrasive blasting, you don’t have to sand your metal before applying the powder coat. Blasting roughens the metal’s surface, which gives our primer a better hold.
3. Primer
Priming your metal before applying a powder coating is the last essential step to proper preparation. A primer strengthens the bond between your powder coat of choice and the metal while preventing corrosion.
Primer is crucial for protecting products with outdoor applications from oxidation, especially in coastal or humid climates. An even coat of the most effective primer available boosts the value of your product and extends its longevity.
Commercial Powder Coating Services in Central Pennsylvania
Fortunately, the team at Keystone Koating offers start-to-finish powder coating services on high-volume orders from businesses. We take care of everything, including pretreatment, minor assembly, packaging and shipping your order back to you when we’ve finished. We pay attention to the details, like which components must be masked to avoid damage and whether the finished pieces of your order meet our quality control standards.
Contact us online for more information about our services or request a quote from Keystone Koating today!