Powder Coatings Business

Get hold of "ASTM D3451 - 06 Standard Guide for Testing Coating Powders and Powder Coatings". and aim at establishing a top quality set up. Though thousands do powder coating few do a quality job.

Refer to Dupont at http://www2.dupont.com/Directories/en_US/Products_Services_Index/Paint_Coatings_Finishes/Powder_Coatings.html. The company is represented at Chile should be able to guide you not only to establish quality set up but also be able to connect you up with world wide supply chain for powder quoted engineering items.

good luck

Thanks.

I already have the ASTM publication of course. and have some idea of equipment requirements. What I need is this word of wisdom that is not written anywhere...and btw, the business I am looking at is in the US...

Wangito.

I would suggest if you have to ask the questions you are asking---don't do it. Find someone who is running a powder coating business and go to work for them awhile. Then ask questions.

Thanks Jack. Your note is greatly appreciated. However, I am 66 years now and have learnt few things in my life...

The agreement is that the owner stays with me for one year, and If I can't catch it within that period I have had it...I don't think it will happen.

Wangito.

Powder coating is pretty well established here in the US. I would suspect (without any knowledge of the current state of the process in Chile) that you would have greater potential there in Chile.

I definitely prefer powder coating over painting. One common limitation is the size of the oven available for baking. Having a large oven available would guarantee the ability to do jobs that smaller places could not do.

You hit the nail right on it's head...

My intentions are building a LARGE oven, to be able to powder coat large industrial or other like machinery. Maybe 30'x15'x10'. and do ,if I can, only this type of work.

Thanks

Wangito.

How about having one of the walls movable, with the heating in sections, so you could use the same oven with less energy for smaller jobs?

Good luck on the project!

Dick

Good idea,

Know someone who made this? Maybe even two moving walls? Thinking about it, not a piece of cake, but certainly intriguing...

It could really be a penny saver.

Wangito.

No. In fact I've never seen the ovens. We had a small DIY kit that gave quite satisfactory results in the lunchroom oven for small machined parts, but all the larger machine bases etc. have been shipped out, so they went out bare and just 'magically' reappeared coated. I don't even know what cleaning procedures are used prior to coating large assemblies, but I presume there must be some. We dipped our small parts in acetone.

I think you'll loose your structural integrity with more than one movable wall, especially important in earthquake country. I'm thinking of essentially a rectangular tunnel of variable length. The movable wall would also be the entry door, and there would be sets of holes for locating pins at several distinct places along the 'tunnel'. The locations of the pins would be mostly determined by the size of the heating elements. Between each set of heating elements would be a smooth section of wall, floor, and ceiling where the door/end wall would seal and be held in place by the set of pins. The door would be on small wheels, with additional wheels and a counterweight on a triangular structure outside, and all the wheels would run in shallow grooves in the floor to keep it aligned as it was moved in and out.

It occurred to me that powder coating would be ideal for boat trailers and the like. This oven could handle that.

The lack of Volatile Organic Compounds should make this a highly preferred process in terms of Environmental Impact , obtaining permits, etc.

Thanks.

Let me entertain your ideas. I had different approach in mind, sectioned like yours, but with several folding or roll down doors being lowered from the ceiling. Or simply hinged internal doors The entrance is in the far side opposite the roll down doors. I don't really need more than 2, maybe three. The business I am looking at is in the US, not in Chile.

Wangito.

The only thing I'll add for now on the oven is that the fewer moving parts, the better! Heat tends to be pretty hard on rolling and sliding elements.

Where in the US? You're going to have some difficulty finding a climate as agreeable as that of central Chile. I think I ve told you in the past that I spent 2.5 very pleasant years in Santiago 1965-67. It was the climate that made me choose Chile (I don't like hot or humid). Never regretted going there! I am aware that the smog has gotten worse since I was there - hopefully they are getting that under control. The LA, CA area was really bad just before I went to Chile, and it has improved a LOT, so it CAN be done.

Best wishes on your endeavor!

Dick

Well Chile is still a very nice place, the reason for the change is me wanting to be close to my daughter, and it will be in Greensboro NC.

I remember you're telling me about your stay in Santiago...Long time since you have left. You will not recognize the place.

If you have not been keeping track if this magazine and web page, you will most likely learn and enjoy. "Product Finishing Magazine," and " PFonline.com" they have monthly articles and troublshooting advice. A good Vendor section adds benefit as well.

There is a trade magazine, Paint and Powder, that could answer a lot of your questions like what type of suppliers to the industry are out there. When I was doing powder coating of refurbished (very greasy when received) car-sized industrial castings, we had a standard pressure washer and used a caustic soapy solution, I'm sure, available from one of the suppliers in the trade mag. We also had a hanging, chain drive track that took smaller items like large panels and such, through a number of dip tanks and spray stations. It took about 1 1/2 hours to make the journey and took up a lot of floor space. As long as oils and corrosion were reasonably removed, the powder was pretty forgiving in its ability produce an acceptable finish for our purposes. Of course, if you plan to do contract work, you will have to follow the requirements of the customer as to cleaning procedures and finish quality. Also check with powder system suppliers. They are more than willing to guide you through and are probably the best source of background knowledge.

Thanks.

Appreciate your response., Wangito.