The pre-treatment of the surface quite often does not receive enough attention, even though it is the main pre-condition for achieving high-quality powder coating which lasts for a long time. A well-prepared surface ensures optimal adhesion of powder coating on the respective coating surface and improves anti-corrosion characteristics.
Arco Color Latvija applies the new generation eco-friendly Oxsilan technology.
Metal parts undergo a five-stage pre-treatment process that ensures a complete degreasing of the surfaces:
Stage 1: Cleaning (temperature 55°C), 90x2 seconds;
Stage 2: Rinsing with tap water, 45 seconds;
Stage 3: Rinsing with DEMI water, 45 seconds;
Stage 4: Oxsilan, 90 seconds;
Stage 5: DEMI water rinsing, 90 seconds.
All parts are dried at max. 120°C temperature before powder coating.
Powder coating
Powder coating is based on the principle that objects with opposite electrical charge (positive and negative) attracts each other.
Powder particles are negatively charged passing through a special coating gun, which develops a static field around the gun and the grounded part. The static electricity ensures that the powder particles are drawn to the surface of the metal part creating a smooth layer. Finally, the metal part is heated in a polymerization oven, where an even decorative and protective coating is created at 160°C to 200°C temperature.
Most of the conductive materials and thermally stable materials are suitable for powder coating.
Choosing powder coating
3 pre-conditions for choosing the type of powder coating:
- Conditions for usage: indoors or outdoors;
- Surface finish: matt, satin, gloss;
- Coating: smooth or with texture.