Andrea Wilson of Varland Plating (Cincinnati, Ohio) gives PF senior editor Lori Beckman the grand tour. 
Source: Products Finishing

About this time of year in 2020, I was starting a new job. I had decided to take on a new role at Gardner Business Media as editor-in-chief of Products Finishing. Prior to that, I had been serving as a writing editor for PF’s sister publication CompositesWorld. The timing was a bit … interesting. I was finishing up my work with CW with a visit to Europe to attend the JEC World international composites tradeshow in Paris. No sooner had I stepped off the plane than I received a notification that the tradeshow had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, I managed to get a flight home just before lockdowns.

Upon returning home, the first duty I had in my new role was to celebrate National Surface Finishing Day (NSFD) with my new teammates on PF. The annual event is a way to showcase the industry to local trade schools, businesses, officials and media, as well as to celebrate employees and staff. It was the perfect introduction to a new industry. We held a party at the office and celebrated online with finishing shops across the nation that were hosting similar events for their own staff. I felt instantly welcomed and quickly realized what a close-knit group of people comprise our industry.

However, as the pandemic worsened and COVID swept across the world, we all started working remotely. It was a strange time to start a new job and learn about a new industry. I met many of you via Zoom calls and had to make do with virtual peeks into finishing shops to learn about the technology and processes. As the year rolled by and we planned another NSFD, we knew the event would have to be different. Everything would have to be online. Again, the finishing community rose to the occasion and filled LinkedIn and Facebook feeds with testimonials, shout outs, virtual pats on the back, and celebrations of the vital contributions this industry makes to our world.

As I write this, I’ve come full circle. This past week I’ve been in Paris attending the same tradeshow that was at the start of my adventures with PF. Held the first Wednesday in March annually, this year’s National Surface Finishing Day was held on March 6. I’m sad to say that because of my travels, I didn’t get to spend NSFD with the PF team. That said, the rest of the PF crew celebrated the day by visiting a couple of Cincinnati area platers:

• Varland Plating, a Cincinnati-based plater since 1946 offering a range of barrel plating services including zinc, zinc-nickel, tin, tin-zinc, zinc-iron, copper, cadmium, brass, electrolytic and electroless nickel. Varland treated PF to a grand tour and gave us a peek at the company’s new automated EN plating line in action.
• Future Finishes/RH Plating, a Hamilton-based plater offering tin and copper plating services in both barrel and rack.

Senior editor, Lori Beckman, says, “It’s always fun for me to experience the industry hands-on, especially witnessing the behind-the-scenes hard work and dedication that manufacturing is known for.” Gardner Business Media V.P. of Finishing and Valve Media, Todd Luciano, adds, “The visits were great! It was nice to get out and celebrate the day in person with some of the shops in our community.”

Many other notable celebrations of the day from finishing operations across the country appeared on social media. Bales Metal Surface Solutions, a plating service based in Downers Grove, Illinois, celebrated the day with a ribbon cutting ceremony for two new nickel plating lines. Several companies including Gema Powder Coating (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Process Technology (Willoughby, Ohio) celebrated with lunches and treats in honor of their hardworking employees.

As Todd says, it’s great to be able to travel and visit in person with colleagues in the industry again. And the lessons we learned during the pandemic have made us more adept at connecting remotely, supporting each other in our successes and challenges and working together to forward this vital industry. Cheers to another National Surface Finishing Day, but more importantly to what it stands for — the hard work of all those in this vital industry.

Plant 72, which is a 244,000-sq.-ft. building, houses an ecoat line, a powder coating line, a wet paint line and offers de-rusting and pickling as well as top coating and chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC). Photo Credit: Lippert

A business that is highly tuned in to market trends and its customers’ needs is one that is wise enough to adapt accordingly. Lippert, a metal fabrication company in Mishawaka, Indiana, that primarily serves the RV industry, is one of these companies. Its Plant 72, the company’s main coatings facility, has shifted from painting RV components to coating jobs outside the RV realm, including those in the automotive, military, agriculture, construction and aerospace industries. The company’s outreach over the last 4 years has not only diversified its customer base but has enabled it to become less affected by the volatile RV market.

“Instead of being a 95% RV company, which we were 6 or 7 years ago, we’re about 60% RV now,” says Joe Thompson, general manager at Lippert. “At this point, 40% of our market is outside of our core business.”

Opening doors to different industries has helped company management realize that Plant 72 offers coatings capabilities to many businesses that do not have access to paint facilities otherwise.

The EV customer attraction

Lippert has many coatings capabilities across its facilities for its internal RV component work. However, coatings are Plant 72’s main focus, and it is the only facility that pursues outside business. The company originally acquired it 10 years ago to help with capacity needs for its RV customers. But with the fluctuation of that specific industry, it has been able to move those in-house jobs out of Plant 72 and into its other buildings that have the capacity to support it.

Plant 72, Lippert’s main coatings facility, has shifted from painting RV components to coating jobs outside the RV realm, including those in the automotive, military, agriculture, construction and aerospace industries. Photo Credit: Lippert

With this available capacity, the coatings plant, which completes a lot of Tier 2 and 3 jobs with quick turnaround (three to five business days), is especially attractive to the electric vehicle (EV) market. According to Thompson, the EV industry is racing to get these vehicles on the market as fast as possible.

“They need a facility like what we have (with a large ecoat capacity) to be able to do this,” he says. “Our customers can’t put up a facility overnight, but they are trying to get components out the door that fast. It is an interesting advantage for us.”

Plant 72, which is a 244,000-sq.-ft. building, houses an ecoat line, a powder coating line, a wet paint line and offers de-rusting and pickling as well as top coating and chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC). The facility has the capacity and equipment to perform multiple coating processes in a single building, which streamlines the production process.

Its ecoat line, affectionately called “El Chingón” by the plant’s team, is the largest non-captive ecoat system in North America, according to Thompson.

El Chingón

A Spanish term referring to something that has much power, Plant 72’s El Chingón is an indexing ecoat line that offers cathodic acrylic and cathodic epoxy coatings with an eight-stage zinc phosphate pretreatment cleaning system, which is U.S. Department of Defense-approved and meets military CARC specifications (T-TC-490E Type 1).

Plant 72’s “El Chingon,” the company’s huge ecoat line, is said to be the largest non-captive ecoat line in North America, with dimensions at 50' long x 9' deep x 63" wide. The equipment offers an eight-stage zinc phosphate pre-treatment cleaning system as well. Photo credit: Products Finishing

Thompson describes the machine’s specs. “The load bars that are carried through the index can handle 6,000-lb. max part weight at one time or 2,000 sq. ft. of product, whichever maxes out first,” he says. “Each of the eight pretreat tanks are 50 ft. long, 10 ft. deep and 65.5 inches wide. The tanks can hold up to 30,000 gallons of product.”

The cathodic epoxy offered has 1,000-plus hours of salt spray resistance. The cathodic acrylic can withstand up to 750 hours of salt spray resistance and UV protection. Its pretreatment and epoxy ecoat meet most automotive and military specifications.

Powder coating and more

Plant 72’s powder coating line is a standard system with manual powder guns that can do quick color changes with multiple colors available. The line, which also has a zirconium pretreatment system that stands in front of it, is 15 ft. long by 3 ft. wide by 6 ft. tall.

Lippert offer a variety of powder coating color options and can accommodate products up to 10' long, 5' deep and 2' wide. It also uses a NT-1, five-stage cleaning process on all its products. Photo Credit: Lippert

Although the capacity of this powder coating line does not match the large capacity of the plant’s ecoat line, Thompson says Lippert has plans to build a powder coating facility nearby that matches it.

Fortunately, the company owns nine powder coating facilities all within the vicinity of Plant 72 that can match the capacity of its ecoat line. Therefore, when the demand arises for a large part to be powder coated, the plant will ship the work to one of these other facilities to finish the job.

All coated parts are force cured at the plant. “We have an enormous oven for ecoat, and other ovens for the powder coat and wet coat processes,” Thompson explains.

Other capabilities that the facility boasts include a wet coat line — which sprays wet paint that is 20 ft. long by 5 ft. wide by 10 ft. tall — light assembly, packaging and shipping.

Boxing and blasting

Because Lippert understands that value-added opportunities are becoming increasingly critical to stay competitive, the company is doing light assembly as well as boxing and labeling of service parts for its automotive and military customers.

“This (in-house shipping operation) has been a growing market of ours,” Thompson explains. “Most manufacturing facilities don’t want to shut down their coating lines for their service parts. So, we’ve become a one-stop shop here where we box them up, and they’re ready to go wherever the need is.”

Bringing the packaging and labeling process in house is one example of how Plant 72 is constantly devising paths to improvement. Staying abreast of the latest equipment or processes in the industry is another way. When management realized that implementing a blasting system would be advantageous for its customers, it began planning for the installation of a media blasting booth, which is currently underway. The blast booth matches the plant’s ecoat capacities; it stands at 60 ft. long by 10 ft. wide by 10 ft. tall.

Predictive maintenance

With a large, 30-year-old machine like El Chingon, Plant 72 has learned that nonstop maintenance of this equipment is the key necessity to keeping it and the business running smoothly.

All coated parts are force cured at the plant. It has an enormous oven for ecoat, and other ovens for the powder coat and wet coat processes. Photo Credit: Products Finishing

“To be able to maintain that and stay in front of it has been a huge feat,” Thompson says. “We cannot afford to have our equipment go down, so we stay on top of that game.” He adds that even a little downtime is problematic because the ecoat line produces so much work, and it is a costly investment to keep it running.

However, Thompson gives credit to the predictive maintenance systems that the company has been putting in place. Also, the facility’s attentive team changes out parts before they fail instead of after, when it is too late.

On the horizon

While Lippert is busy predicting maintenance for its equipment, its management is also doing its best to predict the future market trends that will affect its business.

Although the RV market benefited from the COVID pandemic where it saw a boom in sales, 2023 was a hard year for the industry. It faced a heavy slowdown then, but according to Thompson, the company believes it has seen the bottom of it. “It is starting to pull out, but I don’t think this year we will hit the numbers we did during COVID — it was tremendous,” he says.

Like the RV industry, the marine market (of which Lippert is an OEM supplier) boomed during the pandemic but is slowly bouncing back, Thompson says. With spring around the corner, the company is prepared for business to pick up in that area.

With demand for coatings in many different markets, Lippert has plans to expand its coatings presence, especially in the south. Thompson says the company would like to open a new facility there with ecoat and similar capabilities and capacities to what Plant 72 offers.

“We’ve figured out how to be successful in coatings, and how to make it a financially viable business unit, and also partner with people with that need which opens doors for us across the rest of our business,” he explains.

Q: We have a new job that requires precise film thickness control within a 1.0 mil tolerance (plus or minus 0.5 mils). The part goes through some post-forming and if the film is too thick, it cracks. Appearance and corrosion resistance require a minimum film build. We have worked hard at it but so far we have not been able to maintain the tight tolerance on every batch. Can you give us any guidance on how to keep the film thickness that close all the time? 

A: I have addressed this issue many times over the years, both in the field and in this column. I will give you variables that must be controlled but let me start out by saying that control is the end game. There is no substitute for running trials to determine the range of variables that work and establishing the methods to hold them within tolerance.

As to the variables, it starts with proper tooling. I often use the word tooling to try to communicate the precision required for accurate and repeatable film control. Racking is a good word as long as the right practices in design and maintenance are applied.

Start with density. Parts should be grouped as close as possible as long as they do not touch and the space between parts is not so close that it interferes with coverage. If the parts have a lot of surface area facing the spray guns and very little depth, they can be very close together. The more the depth increases, the more they must be spaced to allow powder to thoroughly coat the sides.

The second feature to consider is the contact. Simple hooks can be effective but if film build has to be precise or the part is light and moves around a lot, it may require a tight hold on the part to ensure that it cannot move during the coating process. It may need a better contact such as a spring-tempered stainless-steel clip or a peg that inserts tightly to hold it firmly in a consistent position.

Rack maintenance is also critical. Rack contacts that break or bend must be replaced. Racks need to be cleaned on a scheduled basis to maintain good ground. And if you must maintain precise film thickness, then grounding is essential. Film thickness variation is will always be wider if the earth ground is not maintained.

So now that the rack is precise and well maintained we turn attention to application. Let’s assume that you have a good booth with uniform airflow. If you have a side draft booth with a collector on one side only, it will be hard to maintain uniform film thickness on both sides of a part. Down draft is superior but drawing from both sides can work also.

Application variables include power output, pattern, gun-to-target distance, velocity and electrostatic settings. If you use gun movers you will need to work on stroke speed, distance and lead/lag point where the guns turn on and off. Trials can be used to measure these variables and determine what is the best possible set up to achieve the film that you are trying to maintain. Once you have optimized all of your settings you will need to measure the results and learn how accurate they are and see if there are any other time variables such as rack build-up or powder volume or level or anything that changes over time. You cannot gather too much data. Measurement is essential. Use it for confirmation and adjustment over time.

Determine the right rack design and application settings, keep measuring and practice scheduled maintenance to achieve precise film thickness control.

About the Author

Rodger Talbert

Rodger Talbert has more than 30 years experience in the powder coating industry.

Q: We powder coat both aluminum and steel on the same line. We have a blast process with use for the steel and we have a 5-stage iron phosphate washer following the blaster. The product is bleacher seating so it must have good sunlight resistance as well as good corrosion resistance. We have had some problems with rust on the steel beams and some issues with adhesion failure of the powder on the aluminum parts. Can you evaluate our current process and suggest changes that will help us avoid these failures? 

A: With a blaster and 5-stage washer, you should be getting a good coating on the steel beams. My suspicion is that the powder coating is not thick enough or coverage is incomplete. You should inspect steel carefully to see if the coating is light and thin in some areas. The most vulnerable areas are the edges and web of the beam. Sharp edges are hard to cover and often require a primer to ensure adequate coverage when the part is installed outside. The web area is rough, and the inside corner will have some electrostatic resistance, so coverage in that area may be light. Work on coverage and get a minimum of 3 mils on all surfaces.

As for the aluminum, your process is not conducive to good performance for outdoor use. You need an aluminum conversion coating to get the needed adhesion and longevity. A 4-stage washer with a good non-chrome aluminum treatment would be much better than iron phosphate, even if you are using fluoride in the current wash process.

If I had your system and parts, I would set up the washer for aluminum and use a good aluminum conversion coating. When you run steel turn off the washer and go with blast only. You will have to have a good blow-off to get rid of the residual blast media. You also must get the thickness of the coating up to ensure that you can avoid the rust issue. Make sure you are using a high-quality powder material that can add the needed protection.

Since your installations are outdoors and not easily repaired, you need to perform regular testing to make sure the process is producing the necessary quality. For the steel, you must check the film thickness constantly. Also, maintain regular corrosion testing using a cyclic process or salt spray to confirm consistent results. If you do not have this equipment, you can work with a lab to keep up the testing. This does cost some money, but I am sure it is cheaper than fixing field failures.

For the aluminum, run panels regularly and subject them to a wet adhesion test. Heat up demineralized water to a boil. Cut a cross-hatch pattern in the panel and immerse it in the heated water for 20 minutes. Do a tape pull test as outlined in ASTM D-3359. The entire process is described in AAMA (American Architectural Manufacturing Association) 2605. Do a panel with every shipment to be sure the aluminum is properly treated. If you pass the tape pull with no lift of powder, you should be good to go.

About the Author

Rodger Talbert

Rodger Talbert has more than 30 years experience in the powder coating industry.

Triplex Plating CEO Jamie Baldwin and COO Jesse Baldwin received the 2023 Top Shops award for Plating/Anodizing at SUR/FIN 2023.
Source: Products Finishing

Products Finishing’s 2024 Top Shops Benchmarking Survey is now open as of February 1. The annual program was created to aid finishing shops in measuring their key operating metrics and assessing how their business compares to others in the industry.

Each year the Top Shops program takes its core mission of continuous improvement to heart, seeking ways to further improve the benchmarking survey and the resulting reports. This year, the Top Shops program offers a fresh approach tailored to meet the needs and time constraints of industry professionals. This year’s surveys are designed to offer participants the benefits of benchmarking and recognition without overwhelming them with an exhaustive list of questions.

Core questions offer simplified but cohesive approach

Recognizing the value of finisher’s time, Gardner Intelligence has revamped its survey structure for 2024. The survey’s core questions, constituting fifty percent of the survey, are tailored to provide valuable insights to the majority of participants. Respondents are urged to complete the core survey by April 30, 2024, to receive a customized benchmarking report, and the chance to earn Top Shops status, and be recognized as an honoree.

Digging deeper

After completing the core survey, participants can opt-in to modules of additional benchmarking questions, delving deeper into specific aspects of their operations. Whether it’s profiling, operations, technology, business strategy, or human resources, participants have the flexibility to select modules based on their business priorities.

Why Participate?

Participants in Top Shops benchmarking program receive a customized report showing how their responses compare to other facilities. This allows participants to better assess strengths and weaknesses, and to determine areas for future improvement. In addition, companies that rank in the top 20% of scores are recognized as Products Finishing Top Shops and celebrated in Products Finishing magazine, through PF’s various media channels and at industry events. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Q: We work hard to maintain a high percentage of good parts on the first pass, but we still have some parts with light coating or other minor defects that need to be repaired and/or recoated. We are not always successful at reworking these parts and now we have a second coat which can cause problems with orange peel and other issues. We need to know how to rework scratches or other surface imperfections in a powder coated finish and then successfully apply a second coat. Can you describe the process so that I can pass along a process for my operators for a reliable rework procedure?

A: There are several variables to this (the specific powder, nature of the defect, coating thickness, etc.), so I will provide a simple process that will cover the vast majority of rework.    

• Remove all loose material by wire brush, sanding or similar mechanical abrasion
• Get a smooth surface in the rough areas using sandpaper or a grinder
• Blow off or wash off all remaining dust or particles
• Make sure the part is dry and free of all debris prior to coating

You will need to recoat the entire part with the powder spray so that none of the original coating shows through. If you do not get a complete and even second coat, you will have a dry spray look and uneven gloss. For optimum coverage, there are a few minor adjustments you should make to the guns. This is fairly simple with a manual gun. If you use automatic guns, it is best to batch up the rework and set a recipe for the adjustments.

• Reduce the amperage to around 20 to 40 micro-amps
• Increase the flow rate of the powder by about 10%
• Increase the gun-to-target distance about 1" to 2" farther than normal
• Maintain a constant gun-to-target distance
• Recoat the entire “A” surface

Cure the part for the normal cure cycle. Get your operators together for a brief training session on the proper technique to make sure they understand and can execute it. Practice on some scrap parts to perfect the technique.

One other thing that is good to know is that some powder materials are not great for inner-coat adhesion. They may need to be lightly sanded to achieve a good bond. You may need to do some testing to ensure the second coat will adhere.

About the Author

Rodger Talbert

Rodger Talbert began his career in coatings in 1976 when he went to work for a small company that does metal fabrication and custom coating. He worked there for 10 years, rising to the position of VP of Sales and Marketing. He left there to work as a sales engineer for a larger company that designs and builds coating systems, and worked there for seven years. In 1993, Talbert started his own business as a consultant. He ran his own corporation for 15 years before joining The Powder Coating Institute as technical director in 2009. He served as the PCI Executive Director until June 2012.

Selecting an outdoor durable-grade powder coating to meet the needs of a customer requires the careful analysis of options, costs, and specifications. Source | Getty Images

Choosing an exterior-durable powder coating can be a daunting task. Some powder pundits assign the descriptor “outdoor durable” on a product without a thorough understanding of what this really means. In practice, it is important to consider the differing levels of exterior durability and which powder chemistries meet which quality specifications.

Powder coatings are based on a binder comprised of a resin and curing agent, colorant pigments, extenders (fillers) and additives. The combination of UV light and moisture attacks the chemical bonds in polymers and pigments, resulting in color fade, chalking and the degradation of barrier properties intended to protect a substrate. Polymers and pigments possess intrinsic resistance to this degradation based on their molecular composition.

What does outdoor durability mean?

Describing a powder coating merely as “outdoor durable” is inexact and does not provide sufficient information to select a product to meet a customer’s requirements. Coatings are delineated based on weathering metrics from actual locations that receive high levels of UV exposure. In North America, coastal south Florida is most used as the standard location to evaluate exterior durability.

Standard-grade outdoor-durable powder coatings are sometimes described as industrial or entry-level architectural grade. These coatings maintain color and gloss for 12 to 18 months of south Florida exposure. After two years, these coatings exhibit significant color fade and 50% or more gloss reduction. Rich and dark colors show the most visual change, as degradation is typically represented as a white, chalky phenomenon.

Entry-level architectural-grade powders fit this performance profile and are used for items that experience only incidental UV exposure or are not expected to maintain appearance past a few outdoor seasons. Storm doors, consumer garden equipment, bicycles and lower end lawn furniture are examples of products coated with standard-grade outdoor-durable powder coatings.

High-performance exterior durability describes a class of coatings expected to withstand up to five years of exposure in south Florida before exhibiting visible evidence of degradation. These types of coatings are used for general-purpose architectural applications such as consumer window frames, architectural hardware, and high-quality outdoor furniture. Some automotive trim products, wheels and agricultural implements use this technology as well.

In addition to providing high gloss and smoothness, exterior automotive-grade coatings require outstanding resistance to sunlight, moisture, air pollution (mainly acidic) and thermal shock. These coatings must maintain gloss and color for a service life up to and beyond 10 years.

Exterior automotive body coatings are typically comprised of a multi-layer system including electrodeposition primer, primer-surfacer, basecoat and clear topcoat. Luxury-model alloy wheels typically use a basecoat/clearcoat system and require similar durability. Acrylic-based powder coatings are used for these applications as they possess the UV durability, chemical resistance and excellent appearance required by these demanding specifications.

Superior-performing (sometimes referred to as “hyperdurable”) architectural-grade powder coatings require 10 years’ durability without exhibiting significant film degradation. These coatings are specified for monumental end uses such as commercial buildings, skyscrapers and the like.

Chemistries

A survey of powder coating chemistries provides a matrix of options for outdoor-durable requirements. To start with, epoxy-based and hybrid (epoxy polyester) powders are not outdoor durable. Any epoxy content in a powder coating will cause the finish to chalk and degrade in less than a couple months of exposure to sunlight.

Entry-level or industrial-grade exterior-durable powder coatings include polyester-TGIC, polyester-HAA, and polyurethane chemistries. These economical coatings are available in a limitless variety of colors, gloss, and special effects.

High-performance architectural and general-purpose powders are usually based on “superdurable” resin technology and are available in polyester-TGIC, polyester-HAA and polyurethane platforms. Color possibilities are extensive but not as limitless as those available in an industrial-grade product because high-performance pigment options are more limited. Standard-grade organic pigments fade in 18 to 24 months of outdoor exposure. High-performance powder coatings must use either inorganic mixed-metal oxide pigments or high-performance automotive-grade organic pigments to meet color and durability requirements.

Exterior automotive-grade powder coatings are most often high-gloss clearcoats, silver metallics and black trim coatings. Color is limited, as formulators must use expensive high-performance pigments. This product space is dominated by acrylic resin technology and has an impressive track record of performance on BMW cars.

Specialty polymers based on thermoset fluoropolymer chemistry are required to meet superior-performing architectural-grade powder coating specifications. These coatings resist fading and film degradation for a minimum of 10 years in the south Florida climate; however, studies have shown this chemistry to withstand 20 to 30 years in the field. Color is limited to muted hues generated by inorganic mixed-metal oxides and gloss levels typically below 70 GU (gloss unit).

Specifications

Each industry and often each manufacturer have their own specifications that define the performance requirements for coatings used on their products. The architectural industry has a very good set of standards established by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) in the U.S. and Qualicoat and GSB in Western Europe and Australia (see Table 2).

All car manufacturers have the expectation that the coating must last at least 10 years without evidence of significant fade, discoloration, cracking, or erosion of the finish. Most automotive companies use a combination of accelerated exposure test methods and natural outdoor testing. Source: ChemQuest Powder Coating Research

Automotive body topcoat specifications are established by each car manufacturer, but all have the expectation that the coating must last at least 10 years without evidence of significant fade, discoloration, cracking, or erosion of the finish. Most automotive companies use a combination of accelerated exposure test methods and natural outdoor testing.

The most common exterior automotive use of powder coatings is as a clearcoat for alloy wheels. General Motors’ 9985586 specification requires three years’ Florida durability of cosmetic qualities. For trim parts, their 9984047 specification calls for an acrylic powder topcoat requiring five years’ durability.

Test methods

Scientists have worked for decades to simulate outdoor conditions in the laboratory in an attempt to accelerate the degradation process. The goal is to establish a rapid predictor of weathering performance to correlate to long-term exposure.

Historically, the Q-Lab QUV Accelerated Weather Tester has been the predominate technique to assess outdoor durability. ASTM D4587 describes QUV testing, which entails alternating cycles of humidity and UV energy generated from fluorescent lamps. These lamps are categorized as UVA 340, UVA 351, FS-40, and UVB-313EL. Details are listed in Table 3.

ASTM D4587 describes QUV testing, which entails alternating cycles of humidity and UV energy generated from fluorescent lamps. These lamps are categorized as UVA 340, UVA 351, FS-40, and UVB-313EL. Source: ChemQuest Powder Coating Research

It is crucial to understand the effect various lamps have on powder coating chemistries and how valid the results may be. UVA lamps more closely approximate sunlight than UVB lamps and take longer to degrade powder coating polymers. UVB lamps emit unnatural short-wavelength energy (below 295 nm) that more aggressively damages powder resins, especially polyester types. Hence, the use of accelerated UVB test conditions generates evidence of coating failure significantly faster than UVA testing. Standard-grade polyesters fail within 250 to 300 hours of UVB exposure, whereas the same products last over 1,000 hours in UVA testing.

A more accurate test protocol uses the Xenon arc weatherometer (ASTM D7869). Xenon arc testing closely approximates the wavelength of sunlight and combines it with a humidity cycle. Exposure is measured in MJ/m² (megaJoules per square meter) of energy and can be correlated to actual outdoor exposure. Some weathering experts use 275 MJ/m² as a measure of a typical year of south Florida exposure. Xenon arc test cabinets emit about 0.55 W/m² light energy per hour, which equates one year of south Florida exposure to about 2,360 hours in the cabinet using a cycle of 2 hours light to 1 hour dark with humidity.

In addition to real-time natural exposure in south Florida, the most realistic measure of UV durability uses a solar concentrating technique described in ASTM D4141 and D4364. This technique provides an acceleration of natural UV degradation by reflecting sunlight onto a coated surface with an arrangement of 10 mirrors. Test racks are stationed in central Arizona and include a water spray feature to accelerate degradation.

Using this method, approximately 1,400 MJ/m² of solar energy is delivered to the coating surface in one year. This correlates to 10 to 12 years of natural south Florida exposure. Solar concentration test methodology is highly accurate but very expensive to conduct.

Making the ideal choice

Selecting an outdoor durable-grade powder coating to meet the needs of a customer requires the careful analysis of options, costs, and specifications. The powder coating industry offers an array of chemistries to provide an excellent match to the expectations of the manufacturer. Understanding which products meet industry standards for weatherability is a good foundation for making the right selection for your customer.

About the Author

Kevin Biller

Kevin Biller is the director at ChemQuest Powder Coating Research. For more information, contact kbiller@chemquest.com or visit chemquest.com/cqpcr. 

Spray Tech Industrial Solutions and PBS Industries have merged to create a new entity, Combined Finishing Company. The merger brings together the specialized expertise of Spray Tech Industrial Solutions in cutting-edge spray coating technologies with PBS Industries’ expertise in industrial ventilation equipment solutions and extraction rooms. 

The merger gives PBS Industries and Spray Tech a combined 80+ years of experience in the finishing industry and will provide a variety of options and greater service for customers. Benefits include:

• An expanded service portfolio that covers every aspect of finishing solutions and industrial ventilation equipment and extraction rooms, and ensures access to a variety of products, as well as maintenance technicians for booth equipment.
• Enhanced efficiency translating into quicker turnaround times and streamlined project delivery.
• Access to the collective expertise of both companies.
• Innovation and Adaptability: The joint entity is poised to stay at the forefront of industry trends, incorporating the latest technologies and best practices to offer innovative solutions that meet evolving customer needs.

Jeff Behymer, president of Combined Finishing Company, says, “By combining our companies, we can provide our customers with a single source for everything service and equipment related for their finishing needs. Both companies had plans to expand, making it a no-brainer for the two companies to merge and provide customers with broader service options and products.”

Cliff Smith, Vice President of Operations, adds, “By combining our resources, we can provide better service and support our customer’s finishing needs on a broader scale.”

Combined Finishing Company headquarters is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company will continue to provide services across the nation.

Besides the two facility additions it has completed since its inception, it recently finalized an exterior building refurbishing. This consisted of the addition of new windows for improved visibility and curb appeal.
Source (all photos): Ace Anodizing and Impregnating Inc.

Because the finishing industry can be highly competitive, most shops in this market seek to provide products and services that bolster their reputation and outshine other finishers. However, sometimes excellence occurs naturally while simply being a customer-focused organization, which is the case for Ace Anodizing and Impregnating Inc. (Hillside, Illinois). This Products Finishing Top Shop not only considers itself an expert in the finishing industry after more than 60 years in business but also, living up to its name, an “ace” in the customer service department. Its team does this by offering turnkey work and flexibility that is not the usual services found at most finishing shops.    

“Our customers are trying to do more with less people,” says Mike Battaglia, V.P. sales and marketing at Ace. “So, the more of a resource you can be, the more value you can bring, even if it isn’t directly related to something you do.”

He explains that the company sees itself more as a project manager than just a finisher. Therefore, the team often gets involved in the initial design stage of a customer’s project to engineer around any potential finishing barriers and design issues. This way, it gets a true understanding of a product’s end use to provide the correct coating.

A coat of many colors

As its name states, Ace Anodizing and Impregnating Inc. provides anodizing, powder coating with a chromate conversion pretreatment and vacuum resin

The company’s precision cutback saw system is designed for production cutting of bars or extrusions to close tolerances. The system uses a computer controlled back gauge for accurate sawing performance and i mproved throughput.

impregnation capabilities, but offers a lot more than what is implied and to a colorful customer base as well.

The company’s anodizing processes include bright dip anodizing, Type II anodizing, Type III hard coat anodizing and two-step architectural anodizing in clear and a variety of colors. With two anodizing lines, Ace can process small and large parts. It also does vacuum resin impregnation, powder coating, chromate conversion and precision cutback sawing.

Ace’s newest capability is the ability to offer Type III, clear or black anodizing on parts up to 282 inches long. The powder coat system is designed to run parts as large as 24 ft. by 10 ft. by 8 ft. All processes are completed in its original facility, which, after a couple of expansions, now stands at 85,000 square feet.

The components of this large tank, which were fabricated from heavy gauge steel, were to spend their service life as integral tanks in a heavy duty parts washing system. Ace’s customer had specific requirements for the coating, such as the application of a iron phosphate pre-treatment and a fluropolymer custom color, all of which were necessary to guarantee the coatings performance and meet the design requirements. They also had specific requirements for packaging to protect the parts through shipping and rigging prior to the system installation. The company’s ability to powder coat and oven cure large, heavy parts enabled it to powder coat each of the eight 500-lb, 14’ L x 4’ W x 8’ H tanks and related components in five days. 

The third-generation, family-owned business serves an intentionally diverse customer base comprised of recreational, medical, aerospace, defense, ordnance, cabinetry, architectural, infrastructure, RV and marine industries, to name a few. Battaglia describes the facility’s range of work. “No job is too small or too large. We have the flexibility to adjust our capabilities to the needs of our customers. The industry is constantly evolving, and so is Ace.”

Part jobs range anywhere from an inch to 282 inches long. “We can anodize and powder coat small parts or a tank that’s 20 ft. long,” he says.

According to Battaglia, the company provides some unique processes that are hard to find in the industry. This includes large part hard coating in clear or black (and any type of anodizing for large parts) and chromate pretreatment on all powder coatings. “Some companies that have their own powder coating operations send us their jobs to pretreat,” he says.

Bright dip anodizing is another increasingly difficult process to find, which

The company’s anodizing processes include bright dip anodizing, Type II anodizing, Type III hard coat anodizing and two-step architectural anodizing in clear and a variety of colors. With two anodizing lines, Ace can process small and large parts.

Ace provides.  

The company’s wide range of work that spreads across many industries is strategic, according to Battaglia. “Customer diversity is good because we are not dependent on one industry,” he explains. “We’re able to shift our focus if one industry seems to soften.”

Turnkey tales

As a 20-year veteran in the finishing industry (12 of those years with Ace), Battaglia says Ace is a company focused on getting things done; it has reacted and adjusted quickly to change. Management has responded to customer needs in big ways such as investing in additional processes and equipment which necessitated facility expansion. It also began offering value-added services, or turnkey work, that speaks volumes to its customers.

“If there’s a service that we don’t want to add as one of our core competencies, then we form a strategic alliance with outside sources to provide it,” he explains. “Then, we offer customers the opportunity to either work directly to the provider, or we will turnkey it for them.”

So, if a customer is running into a problem where it can’t find a source for a certain finish, Ace can do some research for the customer to find the solution.

Bright dip anodizing is a process Ace offers that not many finishing shops provide.

Ace can also take a project from start to finish. For instance, if the customer does not want to buy extrusions, the shop will deal directly with an extruder, purchase the material, bring it in the warehouse and stock it, cut the raw extrusions to precise lengths, finish it and ship it to meet the customer’s specifications. In these cases, Ace acts as a one-stop shop because the customer’s only touch point is the finishing shop. In addition, the customer was not stuck with excess inventory that is the wrong color, wrong length or the wrong finish. Instead, Ace keeps the inventory for the customer and the customer sends Ace its orders as needed.

Staying on top of the game

Reinvesting in the business and evaluating options for continuous improvement are ways Ace lives out its Top Shops title, according to Battaglia.

“The business has changed, the customers are more sophisticated, competition is more sophisticated, and the days of just trying to stay status quo are gone,” he explains. “You’ve got to be coming up with new and creative ways to lower costs, keep good employees and improve your processes.”

Battaglia says Ace’s owner not only does all these things, but he genuinely cares about his employees. Because the staff feels appreciated, in return, it prides itself on producing a quality product. Employees also self-evaluate for process improvement.

To assess the business regularly, the finishing shop finds great value in participating in PF’s Top Shops benchmarking survey each year. “The survey forces us to look outside of our building to see what other finishers are doing,” Battaglia says. “And while we are an industry leader, there are some things out there that others are trying that may be a fit or spark an idea for something we can do differently.”

This perforated aluminum panel is used in an architectural application requiring an anodized finish, Type II, Class II, with lightfast, UV stable coloring.

Like many manufacturing companies, Ace is faced with ongoing obstacles such as employee recruitment and the increasing costs of retaining good employees. Cost containment and dealing with rising prices within the supply chain, increased environmental regulations and economic uncertainty are other business challenges.

As there will always be issues to confront within the market or the business itself, change is inevitable as well. The finishing shop strives to adapt as much as possible to the ebbs and flows. Sometimes, that is in the form of building expansions. Besides the two facility additions it has completed since its inception, it recently finalized an exterior building refurbishing. This consisted of the addition of new windows for improved visibility and curb appeal.

This cooling apparatus for a combine or mining equipment has been powder coated at Ace.

These complex parts have been cured in a gas catalytic oven. Source (all photos): Trimac Industrial Systems

Applying heat to a substrate causes a physical reaction which can be different depending on the material at hand. Heat can shrink, soften, harden and dry/dehydrate. So, how does the type of heat technology affect these applications? Not only does the heating process need to be considered, but also the cost and speed of heating to choose the most efficient oven for a process and for the end user.

I spoke with Marty Sawyer, CEO of Trimac Industrial Systems, manufacturer of industrial ovens, to learn about convection, gas catalytic infrared and electric infrared oven technology, as well as some hybrid applications and pros and cons of each type.

Sawyer says that although it is difficult to determine which heat method is ideal for a certain application until she truly understands that customer’s application and what it is trying to achieve, there are some general rules she follows. “If their primary motive is to reduce their cost per piece, I typically try to push them toward catalytic,” she says. “If their primary motive is speed, I typically push them toward electric infrared. If their primary motive is to be able to do anything under the sun, I push them toward convection.”

Each heat technology has benefits and pitfalls that make each type suitable for different substrates, processes, part sizes and shapes, and needs of the end user.

Convection ovens

Convection heat is the most common form of heating technology in thermal processing. Typically involving an open flame burner, air is heated inside of a

This gas-cat cure oven from Trimac is part of a full powder coating system installed in Canada to finish complex tubular weldments.

chamber and then forced over the part with fans and adjustable dampers to create ideal airflow. The burner in these ovens can be gas combustion or electric powered. 

“Convection ovens are basically a box of hot air, so it is extraordinarily flexible,” Sawyer explains. “Don’t get me wrong. Some can be very sophisticated as far as how the air is controlled, what you do with the air, and how you turn over the air.”

For instance, Trimac uses individual damper controls inside its convection ovens to properly balance and maintain air temperature throughout the oven chamber. Top, bottom, rear or side-discharge, the airflow within the oven can be directed in a variety of ways based on the part, the necessary temperature and the process being performed.

A batch convection oven is most effective when bringing powder coating in-house, for a custom coating job shop, or a shop that needs small volume heating. With higher volumes of a variety of parts, a conveyorized convection oven can be a good option.

Convection airflow is also useful to balance oven temperature and aid in curing powder on parts with thick and thin areas. This can be done by adding the technology to any gas catalytic infrared oven using Trimac’s ThermalWrap design.

Gas catalytic infrared ovens

Gas catalytic infrared ovens are the most cost effective and energy efficient heating solutions, according to Trimac. These custom-designed ovens, commonly used to cure powder coatings on almost any substrate, can do the same work in a fraction of the space, fraction of the time and use a fraction of the utilities required of a traditional convection oven.

Gas catalytic infrared ovens do not rely on heated, moving air to increase the part temperature. For this reason, they are especially useful for uncured powder or powder coated parts because the technology reduces opportunities for cross-contamination and blowing off powder. However, these ovens are also used for drying, thermal forming, boosting to temperature, and to gel powder coatings as well as for more complex parts.

 

From data compiled in Trimac’s laboratory on its equipment, there was an 82% reduction in CO₂ when processing sheet metal in a gas catalytic oven versus the convection oven. Similarly, there was a 67% CO₂ reduction when complex, heavy weldment was processed in a gas-cat oven versus a convection oven. 

This heat technology catalyzes natural gas, which is more efficient than convection technology. “Gas catalytic is typically 2x but can be 3x faster than convection,” she explains. “This also means its footprint is 2x to 3x smaller.” Not only does this technology reduce the required space necessary to do the job, enabling more space on the shop floor for other processes, but it also reduces carbon usage and emissions.

Sawyer explains that for paint and powder coating applications, convection ovens are often large enough that there is a high level of natural gas being consumed. However, with gas catalytic heat, it is faster, cleaner and cheaper.

Based on Trimac’s testing and data collection, Sawyer believes the savings could be more than 66% CO₂ (carbon dioxide) reduction when implementing gas catalytic ovens. “Because you’re only using about a third of the natural gas, you’ll use two thirds less CO₂, and you will emit two thirds less CO₂, just by changing technologies,” she says.

“Convection is your basic Chevy. Natural gas is a race car, which has more gears and is harder to work with.” – Marty Sawyer, CEO at Trimac.

Not only do operating costs decrease dramatically when less gas is used, but Sawyer adds that gas catalytic can produce a cleaner, higher quality finished part as well.

Although gas catalytic offers many advantages, like any technology, there are some considerations to mention. According to Sawyer, these ovens are more difficult to operate because they require more process control and training than convection ovens.

“I always like car analogies,” she explains. “Convection is your basic Chevy. Gas catalytic is a race car, which has more gears but can be harder to work with. However, with so many gears, you get much more control.”

She adds that because more monitoring and more recipes are required for gas catalytic ovens, operators need to be trained more thoroughly than convection oven operators.

Electric infrared ovens

The greenest, least demanding for fossil fuels, and the fastest heat technology, is electric infrared. The ovens that use this heat method can be designed in various shapes and can be implemented for almost any process involving heat treatment, including annealing, laminating, sintering, curing adhesives, curing powder coatings and thermal forming.

The electric infrared elements can be shaped to match the profile of the part being processed and can be controlled by zones inside the oven. This heating method maximizes the amount of energy absorbed into the part.

Because electric infrared is more powerful than the other types of heat, it is also capable of heating faster than other methods.

If an end user’s objective is to reduce its carbon footprint, electric infrared can be a good solution, depending on the size of the operation.

“If you’re working with a smaller oven, you don’t care as much about the operating costs (of electric),” Sawyer explains. “But if you’re working with an oven more like the size of the building, you might need a substation around it to provide the thousands of amps that you might need to do all the work in electric.”

Because electric infrared is more powerful than the other types of heat, it is also capable of heating faster than other methods. It can sometimes heat 10x as fast as convection ovens, Sawyer says.  

Trimac’s Pro-Cat oven combines the speed of electric and the curing ability of catalytic. This oven is especially useful when users are looking to save thousands of square feet of space, heat as fast as possible and reduce the carbon footprint. 

But with power comes expense. Therefore, according to Sawyer, in general, electricity is significantly more expensive than gas catalytic, which is the least expensive heat technology.

However, when working with complex parts, electric infrared is limited. As the temperature gets higher with this technology, the wavelength gets shorter and becomes similar to rifle, as the “line of sight” issue becomes a challenge as Sawyer describes it. Because of its process speed, it only heats what is in its path.

Electric infrared ovens are most efficient for boosting large, complex metal parts. Flat parts are also more efficiently heated using this method. For applications using glass, wood, and other substrates, electric is the optimal choice because of speed and the high level of control. 

Hybrid options

To combine the benefits of more than one of these heating technologies into one oven, some end users are choosing to integrate electric infrared technology at the front of a convection oven to boost the power of, or “turbocharge,” the convection oven.

However, Trimac is offering an oven model that implements Protherm’s electric infrared elements and Trimac’s gas catalytic methods, called Pro-Cat. “This enables us to shrink the size of the catalytic oven and get the speed of electric infrared without some of the downsides of it, which is its power consumption and inflexibility,” Sawyer explains.

For companies that are heating complex parts, Pro-Cat can be the most successful way to reduce a carbon footprint and reduce process time.

How to choose

Because there is no straightforward formula for deciding which type of oven is best for an application, becoming educated about the different heating methods is a good place to start. When Sawyer is working with customers, she suggests they record the utility cost of a particular oven, the cost to operate it as well as the throughput, work-in-process, and all production costs. With this information, it makes the process easier, but it’s still a matrix, she says.

“My answer to the question ‘what is the best technology?’ is always ‘it depends’,” she says. “It depends on some very basic things like the part’s size and shape that needs to be heated, the process and the substrate. And what are your business needs?”

Working closely with an experienced oven manufacturer and having your parts tested increases the chances of choosing an oven wisely.