Have you ever experienced equipment with a finish that failed prematurely, leaving you with a corroded surface and a safety risk for your lifting team? The likely culprit behind this issue is often inadequate preparation of the base material before powder coating.
Why Is Powder Coating Preparation So Crucial?
The preparation of the surface is fundamental in ensuring a long-lasting and durable finish. The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC), originally founded in 1950 as the Steel Structures Painting Council, emphasizes the importance of a near-white metal blast-cleaned surface. This standard requires that the surface be free from visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, and other contaminants when viewed without magnification.
Lifting Technologies’ Powder Coating Preparation Process
At Lifting Technologies, we adhere to stringent powder coating preparation standards to ensure top-notch finishes. Here’s a step-by-step overview of our process:
- Blast Cleaning: We begin by blasting the steel to a near-white condition (SSPC-SP-10) using GL-80 steel grit. This removes all contaminants and prepares the surface for coating.
- Surface Scuffing: The surfaces are then scuffed with abrasives to ensure proper adhesion of the coating.
- Compressed Air Blow-Down: We blow down the item entirely with compressed air that passes through an air dryer and two filters, removing any remaining particles.
Many manufacturers skimp on these steps or skip them altogether, leaving mill scale, oils, and grease under the finish coating, which can cause peeling, flaking, rust, and premature failure.
Powder Application Process
Once the surface is thoroughly prepped, we proceed with the powder application:
- One-Coat Process: The powder is applied to achieve a 2-4 mil finish in a single coat. The coated item is then cured in an oven. The exact curing time may vary based on steel thickness and product quantities.
- Two-Coat Process: The first coat is applied to the item in the same method as above, put into the oven, and allowed to “gel” without fully curing it. Next, a second coat is applied to the item, put back in the oven, and then fully cured out as in the one-coat process.
The Benefits of Lifting Technologies’ Powder Coating Procedures
At Lifting Technologies, we routinely refurbish platforms by grit blasting old powder coat finishes, which often takes hours to remove. Our rigorous procedures ensure a durable finish, long service life, and the ability to offer a 3-Year Warranty on our powder coating finishes.
Proper preparation is key to a long-lasting powder coat finish. At Lifting Technologies, we believe that investing time in quality preparation and coating processes ultimately results in safer, more durable products.