Powder Coat Oven Details

In normal ‘wet’ painting, like type of paint used to cover a residential home, the solids and pigments of the paint are suspended in a liquid. After the liquid dries, the solids stick to the surface and the process is complete. The surface is covered and colored.

With powder coating, the paint is not suspended in a liquid but instead begins as a dry powdery substance. There are several ways to apply the powder coat paint, either by dipping the piece to be coated in a vat of dry paint or by spraying the dry paint on the piece to be coated. Electrostatic charging is normally used in the spraying process, and it may or may not be used in the dipping process.

After the piece is covered in the paint, it is put into a powder coat oven and baked. The paint particles melt and form a continuous film that is both durable and aesthetically pleasing. The temperatures generated by powder coat ovens generally vary from 170 to 200 C, and can vary depending on the specific type of powder paint that is used.

Just like with traditional wet painting, the most important step is surface preparation. If the surface is not clean and free form defects, the powdered paint will not hold and will not look good. There are a number of rinsing, etching, and treating steps that are used to prepare the surface so that it is clean and will accept the paint.

While powder coating is often associated with big industrial projects, it is possible for individuals to perform the process themselves. Starter kits include the paint and are a good beginning point. You also need an air compressor to shoot the paint, as well as a way to prepare and strip the parts. Sand blasting is often the most effective way to prepare the metal, even though it can be quite messy.

Even individuals still need a powder coat oven. It is critical that you do not use a home oven for baking the pieces. If you do, the fumes from the pain curing process will stay in your oven and your house. You can become very sick if you ingest these chemical or inhale them. Many home users find a used household oven that they dedicate as their powder coating over. They keep it in a workshop or outside, and then ensure that it is never again used for food preparation.

Today’s powder coat ovens come in a variety of sizes. On one end of the spectrum are inexpensive ovens for personal use. These are often compact and include a viewing window. They can be as inexpensive as $300. Of course, the sky is the limit for industrial ovens that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can handle huge throughput and he extreme temperatures required by industrial processes.

Powder coat ovens are a critical tool for the powder coating process. Fortunately, you can find a wide variety of ovens at many price points and for many purposes.