Overseas Versus Local Manufacturing: Industrial and Manufacturing Blogs

When it comes to metal fabrication, there are two finishing methods that are fundamentals of the metal fabrication process: powder coating and wet painting. When you understand the basic processes, principles and advantages and disadvantages of both powder coating and wet painting, you are better positioned to come up with your own product that meets market standards.

Understanding powder coating

Powder coating involves applying a coat on a product electrostatically. Normally, the powder is made of several products including polyurethane, polyester, straight epoxy, polyester-epoxy, acrylics and epoxy.

There are numerous benefits to powder coating. To begin with, powder coating makes a metal product dense and thick, which makes it strong and durable. The process is extremely fast because it involves a one-coat finish. In addition, you can customize your metal with different textures and colours because you can manipulate the products that are sprayed onto the metal product. The powder coating is eco-friendly because it features less hazardous elements. Lastly, powder coating results in evenly finished items. Once the powder is sprayed, it is heated to make the surfaces flat and even.

Understanding wet painting and plating

Wet paint is the conventional method of applying paint to a metal item. The process involves the use of a pump, spray, and pressurised vessel to ensure the paint is distributed evenly. Before painting, plating is usually done on the metal first. Experts use plating to prevent corrosion, improve wearability, improve paint adhesion, reduce friction and decorate the metal.

Wet painting and plating also have their own merits. First and foremost, they are complementary, as opposed to powder coating. In addition, wet paint is perfect for items that cannot be powder coated. Wet paint does not need heat for finishing. Secondly, it can produce a myriad of colours, whereas powder coating cannot. Therefore, if you want a more custom colour, consider painting and plating. Furthermore, the process results in a thinner finish of the coating. So, products that need things finished can benefit from wet paint. Lastly, wet paint is perfect for smaller jobs that require an economic finishing process.

As you have seen, both the powder coating method and wet painting method of metal finishing have their own benefits, and the method you choose to use will depend on the type of finished product you desire to achieve and the size of work.

For more information, contact a sheet metal fabrication business.