FABTECH 2024 registration is open! Register Today Experience the most comprehensive showcase of sheet metal manufacturing processes under one roof at FABTECH 2024, North America’s preeminent event for metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing. Discover innovation, find inspiration, and make connections that will impact your career or business. FABTECH 2024 will be held October 15-17, 2024, in Orlando, FL, at the Orange County Convention Center. Come get your hands on the newest tech while gaining crucial insights from the industry’s foremost leaders, unlocking new possibilities for y ..read more

Dive into the dynamic world of powder coating with The Powder Coach’s Playbook: Mastering the Art of Powder Coating: A Comprehensive Guide to Succeeding in the Powder Coating Industry by Joey Golliver, the first (and only) powder coating reference book to address not only the process of powder coating, but also the administrative side of running a profitable powder coating operation. In this comprehensive guide published March 28, 2024, Joey Golliver shares over 30 years of expertise, offering proven strategies and insider insights that have propelled him to the forefront of the powder coating ..read more

Powder coating oven design, operation and maintenance is discuss in detail in the post. A properly designed and maintained powder coating oven is absolutely necessary for a quality finished product. Powder materials are thermally reactive by design, meaning that heat will change them. The heat required to transform the powder material from its powder form to a solid thermosetting finish comes from an oven. There are several types of ovens to choose from. Natural Gas Convection heat, infrared, and electric heat are the most popular. Without getting into the direct pros and cons of each cur ..read more

Spray Painting/Finishing Process TRANSFER EFFICIENCY for Nerds   What exactly is Transfer Efficiency as it relates to powder coating? *Very simply, transfer efficiency (TE) of a spray operation – powder coating – or other spray finishing process is the amount of material that adheres to the substrate compared to the amount of material that was sprayed through the applicator – spray gun –  toward the substrate. Transfer efficiency is expressed as a percentage.* Transfer efficiency is expressed as a simple ratio: Transfer Efficiency = Wt.(lbs) of solid coating deposited on part  d ..read more

Everybody know powder coating is the most durable, environmentally friendly and easy to apply…on metal. But powder coating on wood has proven to be anything but simple simply because wood doesn’t behave like metal does. Wood warps. It cracks. It doesn’t conduct heat well—or uniformly. At one time, it was a living thing—and when you try to paint it, it shows. The finish ends up uneven and not properly cured. And MDF, being simply wood particles held together with resin, acts the same way. But there’s yet another problem with MDF. Think about how it’s typically used, and you’ll quickly realize t ..read more

See  Powder Coating Surface Defects and How to Avoid Them for a detailed explanation of contamination defects and what to do to prevent them from happening.. In this article here, you will find examples of common coating defects and how to correct them. Powder coating defects  come from several different types of coating processes: Powder coating  Automotive assembly plant paint shops Plastic parts molding and painting facilities Metal parts casting and painting facilities   Weld ball in e-coat Copper shaving in e-coat Metal shaving in powder pri ..read more

Metal fabricators, welders, machine shops, auto body shops and powder coaters are constantly looking for a metal repair filler for powder coating that will withstand the powder coating process and also have heat resistant properties. They need a metal repair filler that works! They need Lab-metal or Hi Temp Lab-metal! Metal parts that are filled in with plastic resin or two part body fillers can cause problems for powder coaters and fabricators. These two-part fillers usually shrink, pop out, burn, outgas or leave a ring through the powder which can be very visible especially un ..read more

From the experts at Crosslink Paints: Touch up paint has been saving powder coaters and manufacturers time, resources, & money. Whether it is fixing common powder coating problems like hook marks and hard to reach areas or scratch marks caused by transportation and handling, touch up paint is the quickest solution to the problem. Even though touch up paint can save you from having to re-coat your products, there are some facts and limitations you should know that will help you choose the correct product for your application. What Is Touch Up Paint Typically Made Up Of? The most common pain ..read more

Powder coating wood, plastic and glass is a little different from powder coating metal.  Here is an explanation of the differences. Several powder coat manufacturers have worked extensively on developing systems for powder coating wood, especially MDF (medium density fiberboard), for use in furniture and shelving. One concern is the retained moisture in the wood. If you have the time and patience, you can preheat the wood, spray hot (250°F or so), cure at an elevated temperature (say 350°). The moisture in the wood will blister out and show as blow holes in the coating. You could the ..read more

Powder coating infrared cure is gaining increased attention from coaters as a result of shorter cure cycles and the possibility of smaller floor space requirements when compared to convection oven curing. Although there are exceptions, curing powder coating with infrared alone isn’t always ideal : infrared curing applies light energy to the part surface by direct transmission from an emitter. Some of the energy emitted will be reflected off the surface, some is absorbed into the polymer and some is transmitted into the substrate. This direct transfer of energy creates an immedia ..read more