OUR SERVICES
What is Powder Coating?
Powder coating is a method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of parts. The powder used for the process is a mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is sprayed with a special spray gun that electrostatically charges the powder. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded parts until heated and fuse into a smooth coating in the curing process, resulting in a smooth continuous coating that is highly durable, scratch and chip resistant.
Why Powder Coating?
Why Powder Coating?
Powder coating is significantly more durable than conventional paints. It is resistant to chips, abrasion, heat up to 400° Fahrenheit, UV light, fuel, and chemicals. It is much more durable than ordinary paint.
Powder coating reduces the chance of runs, drips, and sags that are common with paint finishes. Also, corrosion-resistant properties are easier to achieve than with other methods or materials. A wide selection of colors is available, including O.E.M. and metallic. Powder coating is environmentally friendly, and there are no solvents or hazardous materials used.
Powder Coating Process
Maintaining powder guns and curing ovens are essential when staying at the top of the powder coating market and producing a high-quality product. However, without proper surface preparation, powder guns, ovens, and application experience mean nothing. Proper surface preparation is the key to a quality powder-coated product. Crosslink works to ensure this part of the process by selecting one or a combination of burn-off, phosphate wash, mechanical abrasive, or impact cleaning. Check out our powder coating process below to understand how we get the job done!
01
BLAST
Though optional, sandblasting is the best way to prep a metal surface that needs restoration. It removes dirt, grime, rust, and corrosion. It also removes existing painted or powder-coated finishes. All types of metal can be blasted, such as alloys, aluminum, steel, iron, etc. The point of blasting is to remove any mil-scale rust and rough up the surface before prep and powder coating.
02
PREP
Our multi-step preparation process starts with applying a metal prep chemical wash to neutralize surface impurities and cleaning off any lingering debris to prevent rust and corrosion. Depending on the type of metal, we provide several kinds of solutions to enhance the surface before coating, including a prep burn to eliminate moisture and residue.
03
POWDER
When fully prepped and dry, your metal project will be ready for powder coating. Powder coating is accomplished through a process called electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) which utilizes a spray gun, applying an electrostatic charge to the powder particles. The charged powder particles are then attracted to the grounded metal, bonding them providing a durable and high quality finish.
04
CURE
After applying the powder coating, the parts enter a large specialized curing oven where, with the addition of high heat, the coating chemically reacts and bonds to produce long molecular chains, resulting in high cross-link density. These molecular chains are resistant to breakdown, providing a more durable and resilient finish than liquid paints.
