The Navy officially re-opened the Norfolk Ship Support Activity's powder coating facility on board Norfolk Naval Station July 1, re-establishing its to apply corrosion-resistance to shipboard equipment on Norfolk-based ships.
Originally closed in the mid-90s when the Norfolk Regional Repair Center was moved to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the powder coating facility was re-established to make corrosion control capabilities more accessible to surface ships. The facility is one of a number of maintenance facilities the Navy is re-establishing and re-manning, in an effort to improve intermediate level surface ship maintenance support.
"With corrosion a relentless adversary, this new powder coating shop will help reduce maintenance costs and provide a much needed asset for our surface ships," said Commander, U.S. Navy Surface Forces, Atlantic, Rear Adm. Dave Thomas. "We've waited 16 years to get our intermediate maintenance facilities back on line and I'm delighted we're growing these capabilities, one step at a time."
Old paint is sandblasted from parts in a special booth prior to being given a fresh coating in the powder-coat spray booth. They are then placed in bake-on ovens to seal the powder coatings.
"By using powder coating, Sailors are able to reduce surface ship corrosion on a great variety of parts throughout an entire ship. Powder coating works especially well for the environments our ships face at sea. The coatings are weather resistant, making parts more anti-corrosive than other coverings, and they are environmentally friendly," said Norfolk Ship Support Activity production manager Ronnie Saunders.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Please explain how to calculate the heat load capacity of a paint baking oven, using aluminum alloy wheels as an example.
-
There are many methods for addressing electrostatic grounding in metal painting processes, and Tim Ulshafer from Mueller Electric says the best method for your process is a simple and worthwhile exercise.
-
Powder coating is one of the most durable finishes that can be applied to industrial manufactured products, and offers excellent corrosion protection and is very safe because of its lack of volatile organic compounds. To understand the powder coating process you should start with the fundamentals.
