Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths Archives | Production Systems

Step 1 Of The Powder Coating Process: Pretreatment

The pretreatment stage of powder coating process, also known as parts prep, is crucial to the success of the finish. Ensuring that the parts are properly cleaned and prepared to accept the powder coating may be the most critical step. This step ensures the powder coating adheres properly, resulting in a long-lasting, corrosion-resistant, protective layer. Most defects in a powder coated part are due to inadequate pretreatment. Different materials require different pretreatment approaches and often, there are strict guidelines that need to be met. Step one in pretreating parts begins with cleaning – mostly with chemicals. The amount of cleaning required is dependent on the condition of the parts. Is the part brand new and relatively clean? Or has it been sitting on the manufacturing floor or outdoors for weeks and gotten rusty? Is there oil, grease, or welding spatter on the part that needs to be removed? Manual pretreatment cleaning methods, such as using a pump sprayer or spray wand, are common for most shops. With this set-up, an operator manually applies chemicals using specific equipment. Sometimes pretreatment with [...]

Dawn Denby2024-11-11T12:54:01-05:00November 11th, 2024|Company News, Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off

New Conversion Coating Technologies

Traditionally, conversion coating pretreatment process options have been limited. For the most part, they include either an iron or zinc phosphate. Although these have been sufficient in performance in the past, concerns have recently risen regarding their inefficient energy and water usage. Iron Phosphate Pretreatment Systems Iron phosphate systems are most often used when a durable finish is required but the parts are not exposed to extremely corrosive environments. These systems involve up to six stages, including multiple cleaning and rinsing phases which require a lot of water and energy. Zinc Phosphate Pretreatment Systems Zinc phosphate coatings provide exceptional durability even in corrosive environments and they are capable of coating mixed metals. However, zinc phosphate systems require even more phases than iron systems. Zinc phosphate systems are different in a couple ways from an iron system. Primarily, the zinc system requires a surface conditioner stage, which happens just before the zinc phosphate stage. Since the surface conditioning chemistry is a colloidal suspension, it ages over time and must be dumped frequently to be effective. Again, wasteful in energy and water. [...]

Dawn Denby2023-06-20T14:04:29-04:00June 9th, 2022|Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off

Preparing Metal Surfaces For Conversion Coating

When painting metal products, preparing the material for finishes is essential. The surface must be treated with a conversion coating. During this treatment, the metal surface undergoes a chemical reaction that and is essential for the durability of the finish, promoting adhesion and increasing corrosion resistance. Before applying the conversion coating, the metal must be prepared. Contaminants must be removed from the metal surface Prior to coating, metal surfaces must be cleaned. If the cleaning does not thoroughly eliminate contaminants, a uniform conversion coating will not be created resulting in a metal surface that is not properly protected from corrosion. The most common method used is aqueous cleaning; however, other methods include ultrasonic cleaning and vapor degreasing. With aqueous cleaning, the cleaner is water-based with various other chemicals mixed in, such as detergents and surfactants. In addition to the cleaner, heat and agitation are used to remove contaminants. Aqueous cleaning is highly effective in removing ionic contaminants, and is most often used when the process combines cleaning with the application of protective coatings or surface finishes. With vapor degreasing, solvent [...]

Dawn Denby2023-06-20T14:04:56-04:00June 9th, 2022|Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off

Effective Ventilation In Sanding And Grinding Booths Keeps Dust Out Of The Way And Saves Money

Having a sanding and grinding booth in your facility provides multiple benefits to your company. The main purpose of a sanding booth is to efficiently prepare items for finishing in a safe, clean environment. If you don’t already have a sanding and grinding booth with a ventilation system, the following benefits will convince you to install one. When preparing items for finishing, layers of coatings and contaminants must be sanded or ground off in order to create a surface that will provide a beautiful blemish-free finish. When sanding, these layers turn into dust. Dust can make a work environment hazardous and can contaminate the product. A good sanding and grinding booth will provide effective ventilation that captures and immediately removes dust from the environment. Your employees won’t be breathing in dusty air and the work surfaces throughout your entire facility will not be covered in dust. The booth’s ventilation system cleans the dirty air by running it through multiple filters that capture even the smallest of particles; 99% of dust particles are caught during filtration. The clean air is then [...]

Dawn Denby2023-10-03T14:33:03-04:00May 3rd, 2022|Design & Engineering, Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off

Grinding Booths For Surface Prep

A vital step in many manufacturing processes is preparation of parts by grinding. Companies grind parts to remove coatings and prepare them for finishing. Coatings can include paints, metals or other materials. Once the grinding and sanding starts, particles go flying around often at high speeds. It can be a filthy dangerous task. That’s why, companies rely on grinding booths to separate this dirty process and help clean up the mess. When the grinding starts, sparks go flying. Particles and dust are flung all over the shop. Particles coming off the grinder are moving at a high velocity and can be thrown up to 10 feet. Particles are hitting walls and ceilings, as well as unsuspecting workers nearby. Larger particles pile up on the floor and smaller ones linger in the air waiting to be breathed in, some of which can be toxic. In addition, the grinding is loud and the job is hazardous. The answer to the challenges presented during the grinding process is a surface prep booth. A grinding booth is an enclosed room with a heavy-duty dust [...]

Dawn Denby2022-03-08T15:29:42-05:00March 8th, 2022|Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off

The Importance Of Performing Surface Prep In A Sanding Booth

Sanding and grinding booths are a great solution for removing coatings and preparing objects for finishing. Booths can fit anywhere on the plant floor where you have open space and are engineered from the ground up. Booths are a heavy-duty industrial solution that is not only efficient but can last for decades. Due to the dirty process of sanding and grinding, it is critical to establish an isolated environment so you don't turn your work environment into a hazardous place. The sanding and grinding process can throw sparks, dust, particles, and fumes into the warehouse environment. Sanding & grinding booths provides segregation of the high particulate work areas. It also provides a safe work environment and provides full control over the waste products generated during the production cycle. Sanding & grinding booths are excellent all-around paint booth. The air enters through the intake plenum, either from the outside or from the ambient warehouse environment. As the air travels across the booth the filter modules remove dust and contaminants. The clean air is then vented out of booth through the rear [...]

Dawn Denby2021-12-29T14:13:45-05:00December 29th, 2021|Pretreatment & Surface Prep Booths|Comments Off