Published 5/1/2011

Tumbling to the Finish

Plastonics’ unique powder coating process keeps costs down

The Flow-Clad system of coating smaller parts at higher production rates uses a tumbling method not usually found in many custom coaters. “I just don’t think too many people even know that this process exists,” says president Bob Zimmerli. “It will definitely save them money. It’s just getting the customer to understand what we can do for them.”

Edited by: PF Editorial Team

Automotive: springs, clips, washers, wire guides and fasteners.
Electrical: cable fasteners, ferrites, clips, thimbles, terminals and heat sinks.
Fashion/Clothing: buckles, bra clips, hooks and buttons.
Hardware: eyelets, hooks, rivets, screws and washers.
Others: marine, jewelry, building or architectural.

While Plastonics’ fluidized bed coatings have a thickness between 0.007 and 0.015 inch or more, the Flow-Clad process results in thicknesses of about 0.003 to 0.007 inch, although a heavier coating can be specified, including up to 0.02 inch.

The company uses nylon, polyethylene, polyolefin and polypropylene material in its coatings.

Customers like ADS like those materials on their parts. “It seals it up very well, and that’s just what we needed,” Kopf says.

That’s because the parts have virtually no holding scars since they aren’t racked. Zimmerli says the parts are fed on a conveyor into an infrared oven where the coating is fused onto the material.

The part is then flipped and tumbled over and re-fed into the oven where the material on the other side is fused. Water is sprayed on the underside of the mesh conveyor to cool the belt and maintain the already-fused finish.

Zimmerli says he hopes to get the word out about his Flow-Clad process because it is a cost-saver for many projects.

“I just don’t think too many people even know that this process exists,” he says. “It will definitely save them money. It’s just getting the customer to understand what we can do for them.”

Zimmerli believes the reason he is one of the few to use the tumbling process is because it takes some time to master the technique.

“It can be tricky,” he says. “It takes time to learn how to get it right, and that may scare some people off. But once you know how it is supposed to work, it pretty much is a straightforward process.”

For information on Plastonics, call 860-728-3355, or visit Plastonics.com.