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Powder coating gives metal or other hard surfaces a finish that will last longer than paint alone. It is a significant and growing industry that is often used to protect parts in automotive, construction, real estate, and more. It is expected to grow by more than 7% annually for the next 5 years. Starting a powder coating oven business is a great way to help customers assure the longevity of the appearance and durability of their metal treasures, and it pays well if you know what you’re doing or are willing to learn.
But you’ll need more than a bit of business know-how to get there. You should know what you need to do as an entrepreneur to start a successful powder coating business.
How does Powder Coating work?
Powder coating protects things from the effects of the weather. It gives a smooth finish and an even surface. Thermoset or thermoplastic is broken up into small pieces to make a powder. The powder is then sprayed onto the surface of a metal object using an electric charge, and the surface needs to be cured.
To cure a powder coating, you need an oven. Powder-coating ovens need to handle temperatures and be big enough to hold all the things that need to be powder coated. Since powder coating ovens don’t need solvents, curing can be done following Environmental Protection Agency rules about the release of volatile organic compounds.
How Do Ovens For Powder Coating Work?
Powder coating ovens ensure that the powder adheres firmly to the metal throughout the coating process, making the finished product durable and long-lasting. The powder then turns into a smooth material that looks like it was painted on.
Powder coating ovens heat the coating to a specific temperature, which means that the powder coating method will reach its end goal. For this reason, you need special ovens. The layer shouldn’t be heated directly, and heating elements shouldn’t touch the coating now, or it will burn.
In a convection heating process, the coating oven must have heating coils that can send infrared heat to the coated whole object. Convection heating lets heat move toward a substance without touching it directly. Since the heating coils don’t touch the coated object, they won’t change the coating.
In a coating oven, the temperature is set to a certain level, and a timer should be used to control how long the coating needs to cure. The powder can act like plastic wrap by applying it to the metal at the proper time and temperature.
The volumetric capacity of a powder coating oven is the most important thing about it. Powder-coating ovens are often used in the auto industry to coat essential parts, so they don’t wear out or warp as they are used.
A Quick Rundown Of How Powder Coating Ovens Are Built
That and most powder-coating ovens are made with a steel track frame held together with rivets. Sheet metal will cover both sides of the frame, with insulation in between. The metal on the floor is thicker so that it can hold the weight of a rack for powder coating. Some top manufacturers are Reliant, Midwest, and Eastwood. The heating elements will go inside the oven and be wired to a control box on the outside of the oven.
Materials and Tools for Framing
Studs and tracks made of galvanized steel will frame this oven. Given that these ovens are taking extreme heat, it is not advisable to build it on your own. Definitely consider a manufacturer when you need an oven.
Topping Off Ovens Doors & Frontals
Most oven doors are at least 5″ thick and have at least six of mineral wool insulation inside. For example, Reliant doors have a rigid steel frame on the inside and are made so that heat doesn’t cause them to warp or sag over time. The gasket material is made of durable fiberglass and vermiculite. The doors fit tightly against the gasket that comes with them, but they are easy to open and close.
The best oven doors keep heat in. Friction latches also called “panic latches” or “slam latches,” allow the doors to be opened from the inside in case of an emergency. They also let excess pressure out of the oven enclosure safely.
Coating Heat Systems for the Oven
The heat systems in our ovens are mostly made of 11 gauge, 16 gauge, and 18 gauge aluminized, G90 galvanized, or stainless steel parts. Mineral wool insulation with a density of at least six is used everywhere. The best heat systems use Power Flame “Jet Fire” forced-induction burners with built-in combustion air supply fans approved by the ETL. They can be changed “on the fly” by the PID fuzzy logic controller on the control panel or by a PLC device that is connected to a color touch screen HMI.
The combustion chamber has a stainless steel blast tube and splash plate, and the heat system’s enclosure has dual-inlet/dual-outlet forward-curving fan wheels to recalculate the hot air within the oven enclosure. Our curing oven heaters have special high-temperature bearing assemblies that are easy to get to and fan shafts that are bigger than they need for durability and less vibration. A technician optimizes each unit on-site to get the best results for the customer. Often times, a good manufacturer can send a technician to help with this.
Exhaust
The shop floor is equipped with anti-vibration bushings to prevent noise and vibration from a high-performance ventilation fan assembly. Most of the time, the community used a belt-driven fan and tilted it backward. The fan pulls air from near the oven floor so that only the most excellent air comes out of the coating oven. Exhaust drives are contained in a well-ventilated steel box, and double-wall ducting with a high-flow exhaust cap is required for the exhaust system.
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