NASA has invested in the development of various polymer chemistries and processing improvements and is now interested in transitioning these technologies to industry.
Touch-up paint often is the best way to cover coating imperfections. However, using the right supplier and application method, ensuring an exact match to the original coating, and perfecting the required skills are crucial to optimizing the final results.
How can custom coaters maintain a successful niche in an increasingly competitive market? For Miller Products in Grand Rapids, MI, the answer has been to offer a broad array of services to meet virtually any finishing requirement.
Many appliance manufacturers - particularly those that rely on coil coatings - have had to change their finishing practices over the past year to meet new regulatory and design challenges. Fortunately, suppliers have been working behind the scenes to develop innovative pretreatment systems, primers and coatings that can keep manufacturers in compliance with environmental regulations while giving them a competitive edge.
Thierica Equipment recently has taken its quest for quality and service to a new level with a 3,600 ft2 test lab that will allow finishing professionals to validate paint application methods and develop new products. Located within Thierica’s 84,000 ft2 manufacturing facility, the new lab is designed to help facilitate technology advances.
With paint lines running well in excess of 300 fpm, it is essential that a coil coater know the color of the product as early in the process as possible. With this information, adjustments can be made to increase or decrease the film thickness of the paint or the bake time required to get the desired color. One way to achieve this goal is with an online color measurement system.
Coil coating is one of the most advanced, efficient and environmentally friendly means of coating metal. Using prepainted metal can provide manufacturers with a streamlined manufacturing process, cost savings and a more environmentally friendly plant.
Dear Joe, We are a manufacturer of paint racks for plastic parts. One of our automotive customers paints left- and right-hand parts at the same time on the same rack. They occasionally need to paint only one hand, leaving the other hand empty. This causes heavy paint buildup on the hand not being painted. Is there a way to mask the holder so that paint buildup is not a problem?
As a member of the coil coating industry, I am pleased to see that the prepaint process continues to provide the flexibility to meet new manufacturing challenges and growing needs in the marketplace. It is fascinating to see the new colors, textures and patterns on the coil lines today.