When you need a metal surface to last longer and be safer from damage like rust and chemicals, a process like powder coating can help you achieve that. Manufacturers in various industries powder coat metal for protection and to ensure the durability of structures and products. Knowing how to properly powder coat metal ensures that the process is done according to the required standards to achieve the best results.
Powder coating is among the popular methods manufacturers utilize to make metals more durable and more resistant to damage.
What Is Needed to Powder Coat Metal?
●Cleaning supplies: unless the metal is already clean, it needs pretreatment to get rid of dirt, oil or rust. The right cleaning supplies, which include water and blasters, ensures a metal is clean so the powder coat binds on it properly for an even, longlasting protective layer.
●A spray gun or a powder coating system: These devices apply a charged powder coat on a metal surface. Powder coating systems are suitable for commercial powder coating establishments, enabling technicians to get more metal coated in the shortest time possible.
●A curing oven: This is used to ensure the powder coat forms uniformly on the metal for proper coating application.
●Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): With the world having overcome a pandemic, we all know what a PPE is. In the case of powder coating, PPE is protective clothing for the body, including gloves and a respirator. Powder coating exposes one to dust and wearing a respirator prevents the inhalation of the dust, safeguarding the breathing system.
How to Powder Coat Metal
Knowing how to powder coat metal is a process that involves several steps.
Step 1. Cleaning the Metal
You have everything you need to powder coat metal, the skill and tools. Before you start to powder coat, you need to ensure the metal is clean. That means getting rid of any dirt, oil, or dust on the metal surface. It there is rust, get rid of it first. Cleaning metal can involve using a surface primer, blasting to remove rust, paint, or scale or washing to get rid of unwanted particles on the metal that needs powder coating. The product used to clean metal will depend on its condition.
Cleaning the metal ensures that the powder coating forms effectively on the surface. You want to have a uniform, neat coat free of uneven parts.
Step 2: Applying the Coat
Powder coating metal is done using a powder gun. The gun releases charged powder that sticks to the metal surface you are working on. A spray gun is simple to utilize, making it efficient for both beginners and professionals.
Since we are dealing with powder here, you can be certain that some of it will end up on your floors and the air around you. That is where a powder coating booth comes in handy. It helps you contain the overspray just around the metal you are powder-coating to prevent it from spreading.
However, if you have adequate space and not concerned about the powder spreading, you may not need a spray booth.
Step 3: Curing and Cooling
After a metal is coated used a spray gun, it goes through a curing process. This is where metal is put in a curing oven, which can be heated to 356°F or higher. The job of a curing oven is to ensure the powder coat melts to create a uniform protective layer on the metal.
How much time a metal spends in a curing oven will depend on its sizes, so smaller surfaces take less time while larger ones need more time.
Once the curing process is complete, the metal is removed from the oven and allowed to cool. After that, it is checked to ensure it was properly powder coated and has no defects. It can then be stored for delivery or for later use.
Can Anyone Powder Coat Metal?
Powder coating metal requires skill. In as much as there is a spray gun that you point and spray, you need to have knowledge of how powder coating works. That way, you are aware of the cleaning processes, how to use it, how to set different parameters for powder coating and how to cure metal after applying the charged powder.
Manufacturers provide simple and complex powder coating devices to meet the varying needs of customers. If you intend to powder coat metal, understanding the powder coating process is vital. That way you know the processes involved to ensure the application is done properly to achieve a uniform, durable protective layer on metal.
Our distributors and service centers are all over the world.
In order to ensure that our customers can get more professional advice before and after the sale of spray products, we will also provide timely maintenance support and spare parts supply to customers through the service network.
Few on the market Test Service
Test centre has been set up in our factory in China where customers can perform tests and simulation works. Our demo labs are equipped with the latest powder equipment for trial use by our customers.
The KPC series powder center integrates powder supply, powder recovery and sieving functions in a compact housing, and is equipped with an extraction device to ensure a clean working environment in the workshop. The KPC allows operators to change colors quickly and efficiently in a short time. The PLC control system will automatically clean the powder hose and internal powder path of the spray gun to reduce downtime and powder contamination problems. The extraction device of the KPC can be integrated with the KPC or with the main filter unit.
KMB "Magic Box" series fast color change powder spraying system is designed to solve the color change troubles of customers. The whole system adopts advanced plastic structure and automatic recycling control system, which can save color change time, improve equipment utilization rate and create profit return rate.
ACB high efficiency spray booth system has unique design and advantages. The bottom air duct of the booth adopts the ‘even flow’ flap structure, the side panels of the booth adopt the advanced design without automatic gun opening, and the systematic supporting design creates the ideal powder atomisation area of ‘flexible spraying’, which has a gentle air flow, providing an ideal working environment for powder coating. This provides an ideal working environment for powder coating. This design and functionality makes the ACB high efficiency spray booth system highly efficient and operable in powder coating operations, able to meet the coating needs of different workpieces, while also demonstrating excellent performance in cleaning and recycling, providing a strong guarantee for high quality powder coating operations.
ColorWing wing-type spray booth has unique design and advantages. It is mainly suitable for spraying workpieces in vertical hanging mode, such as aluminum profiles, highway guardrails, etc. ColorWing wing-type spray booth uses the patented design of "wing-type wall panel" and "wind tunnel" cleaning mechanism, which is efficient and fast when cleaning and changing colors.
The CQB high-efficiency spray booth system adopts a sandwich-style all-plastic structure with a bright and elegant design. The manual workstation is open and external, which is convenient for manual operation. The workpiece outlet is designed with a PVC solid door, which is closed during cleaning to shorten the cleaning time. The bottom recovery adopts a "uniform flow" multi-channel design to even out the exhaust airflow, thereby achieving better powder application efficiency.
The CQB high-efficiency spray booth system adopts a sandwich-style all-plastic structure with a bright and elegant design. The manual workstation is open and external, which is convenient for manual operation. The workpiece outlet is designed with a PVC solid door, which is closed during cleaning to shorten the cleaning time. The bottom recovery adopts a "uniform flow" multi-channel design to even out the exhaust airflow, thereby achieving better powder application efficiency.
Sieve and separate the powder sent back by the recycling system to remove impurities, and then send it to the powder supply system for reuse in the spray gun system
Sieve and separate the new powder to make the new powder more evenly mixed
Different mesh sizes can be configured according to the customer's different products and the number of spray guns, and vibrating screens of different diameters can be selected to improve product spraying efficiency
According to the characteristics of coil spraying, such as large amount of powder, uniform coating, thin coating and corrosion resistance, ultrasonic vibrating screen is selected, which can achieve high precision, high mesh screening, low energy consumption and high efficiency.
DDF3 high-power powder pump can operate friendly under high powder concentration and low air flow rate powder supply conditions. It can operate stably in harsh hot and humid environments for a long time. DDF3 high-power powder pump can adapt to different types of powders and maintain a soft, smooth and stable powder conveying effect. DDF3 high-power powder pump is user-friendly and easy to operate. It will not spit powder under different conveying distances and powder types. The sturdy structure can meet the high-pressure cleaning requirements required for fast color change systems.
BV-1 high-power powder pump for powder recovery is used to recover powder from the recovery system to the powder supply system. The powder delivery capacity is more than 7kg/min
Powder can be directly supplied to the powder supply system from the powder box. The bottom bracket of the powder box is equipped with a vibrator, so no "holes" will be formed during the powder suction process, ensuring the continuity of powder suction.
The powder is directly supplied from the ton bag to the powder supply system, and the ton bag is placed on a mobile trolley with a vibrator. Equipped with multiple sets of high-efficiency and high-power powder suction devices to meet the requirements of large powder consumption. The automatic lifting device and the special powder hopper design make the powder bag have less residual powder
Based on more than 30 years of successful experience in designing rapid color change systems, the unique MPC closed-loop powder supply center can provide efficient rapid color change capabilities. The MPC closed-loop powder supply center can be upgraded to the rapid color change capability of an existing powder spraying system alone or integrated with a complete powder spraying system (including spray booth, powder recovery system, spray gun and elevator, etc.).
Whether the user is adding new spraying equipment or upgrading and modifying the existing spraying equipment, the PMC system that must be configured in the process of realizing digital control technology includes DDF powder pump, new powder supply device, powder supply barrel, high-efficiency powder screen and control cabinet.
It consists of a vibrating screen and a powder barrel. The recovered powder passes through the buffer of the vibrating screen, to the screen, and then to the powder barrel after screening. The powder barrel then supplies the powder to the spray gun system.
The spray gun is fixed on AutoFlex100, which can move up and down, forward and backward, left and right, and rotate up and down. It can memorize the spray angle and position of the workpiece and realize automatic groove spraying. It adopts the latest digital positioning system and PLC control to ensure stable and reliable lifting. The main control touch screen can display the lifting speed and program multiple working programs. It can also be controlled by an independent touch screen/tablet or mobile phone. The operating system software is user-friendly through simple graphics and Chinese and English analysis.
To meet the requirements of workpiece shape, line speed, coating and output, our HDR6P lifter achieves the best results with unique functions. The HDR6P lifter is equipped with a precision programmable electric servo motor, adopts the latest digital positioning system and PLC control, ensures the long-term repeat accuracy of the spray gun during automatic spraying, and the lifting action is smooth and reliable. The main control touch screen of the equipment can display the lifting distance and speed, and can be programmed into more than 255 working programs. The operating system software uses simple graphics with Chinese or English explanations, which is user-friendly.
To meet the requirements of workpiece shape, line speed, coating and output, we provide the SR series of lifters, which can achieve the best effect required by customers with its different features. The SR series programmable electric lifter has a stylish appearance and precision manufacturing. It can ensure the long-term repeat accuracy required by the spray gun during automatic spraying. It adopts the latest digital positioning system and PLC control to ensure smooth and reliable lifting action. The lifting distance and lifting speed can be displayed on the main control touch screen of the equipment, and more than 255 working programs can be programmed. It can be controlled by independent touch screen and/or manual buttons. The operating system software uses simple graphics with Chinese or English explanations to make it more user-friendly. SR series short-range programmable lifter-suitable for vertical cloth gun automatic spraying online, with a travel distance range of 100-400 mm.
To meet the requirements of workpiece shape, line speed, coating and output, we provide the ER and HDR series of lifters to achieve the best results required by customers with their different features. The ER/HDR series programmable electric lifters are stylish and precision-made. They can ensure the long-term repeat accuracy required by the spray gun during automatic spraying. The latest digital positioning system and PLC control are used to ensure smooth and reliable lifting and lowering. The lifting distance and lifting speed can be displayed on the main control touch screen of the equipment, and more than 255 working programs can be programmed. Independent touch screen and/or manual button control are optional. The operating system software uses simple graphics with Chinese or English explanations to make it more user-friendly. ER series long-range programmable lifters - suitable for use with up to 6 automatic spray guns. HDR5P series heavy-duty long-range programmable lifters - suitable for use with up to 9 automatic spray guns.