A Class Powder Coating

1. Pretreatment

To begin with, components or parts that need to be powder coated will enter the ‘dual cleaning zone’. As part of the pretreatment process, this zone accommodates many differing cleaning requirements. Especially for all the different parts that may need cleaning beforehand. Pretreatment is a vital aspect of powder coating. This is because it ensures that the surface is clean and free from dirt, residue, or existing treatments. It provides a clean surface to powder coat onto.

Without pretreatment, the powder coat may not adhere properly to the surface. It can therefore have a negative impact on the coating’s performance and lifespan. Additionally, creating a uniform coating all over the component can be tricker with a surface that has not been pre-treated first. Our ‘dual cleaning’ section gives the operators the process controls to dial in the specific treatment required, to support ‘just in time’ production associated with the automotive supply chain.

2. Enhancing Corrosion Resistance

The second part of the process is the wholly unique system developed by R&M Metal Finishing. It is the inclusion of a TriCat Zinc Phosphate on a continuous line. This enhances the corrosion resistance performance. It has been specially designed to meet the stringent requirements of one of the major Japanese OEMs that we work with. This world-class solution has allowed us to evolve and expand quickly, with the ability to be able to support other OEMs that have similar requirements.

3. Curing

The final and highly significant line of our powder coating process line is the ‘dual zoned’ cure oven. This facilitates the curing of both heavy and light gauge materials at constant production rates. This ensures the consistency of both pre-treatment and powder coating conditions. Therefore, as a result, optimises all aspects of the product quality.