Powder Coating
Powder coating on sheet metal sprays charged dry powder onto a part connected to electrical ground, so the powder clings to the metal, then heats the part until the powder melts into one continuous film. K-Display powder coats fabricated enclosure panels, brackets, and welded frames in Chicago.
What powder coating does to a fabricated part
The cured film gives every face the spray reaches the same color, texture, and gloss across the part, and it shields the metal under it. We powder coat carbon steel, galvanized steel, galvanneal, stainless steel, and aluminum parts with press-in hardware already installed, and supply them coated, marked, or assembled with hinges, latches, and handles fitted.
Part marking and product graphics prints legends and logos in flat color on the finished face.
The panel hangs from one hook on a rail in both frames, and that hook is the grounded path the spray depends on. In the second frame the cured film covers the face and the bent edge at the bottom alike.
Parts we powder coat
Powder coating suits parts that are seen, handled, or bolted to something else. Choose it for one color and texture over the whole part, and choose part marking and product graphics when the part also carries text or a logo.
- Mounting brackets, coated in the color of the machine they bolt to.
- Welded frames, coated as one unit before the components are mounted.
- Machine guards and covers, coated to match the equipment they close.
- Shelving components, coated so the finish matches across the set.
- Materials
- Carbon steel, Galvanized steel, Galvanneal, Stainless steel, Aluminum
Hardware first, then mask, coat, and cure
The hardware goes in before the part is hung, so the cured film covers each nut's pressed-in flange and the part leaves the oven ready for its hinges and latches.
Press in the hardware
We press the nuts, studs, and standoffs into the punched holes from the face each one needs.
Mask the threads and faces
We mask the threads, holes, and faces that must stay uncoated, so the coat stops at their edges.
Hang and spray
We hang the part from a hook that grounds it and spray charged powder onto it, and the powder clings to the metal.
Cure the film
We heat the part until the powder melts and cures into a continuous film, then take the masks off.
Fit and pack
After the cure we add the hinges, latches, and handles and pack the part coated, marked, or assembled.
Design for powder coating
The film adds thickness to every face it reaches, so a thread, a close-fitting hole, or a contact face can close up or stop touching its mate. Mark those features bare on the drawing, and we deliver them as bare metal.
Powder is drawn to outside edges and corners, so a deep recess or an inside corner takes a thinner film than the face around it. Draw a recess open on the side the spray reaches, and we spray into it from that side.
The hook that grounds a part touches it at one point, and that point takes no powder. Mark the face that must stay clean, and we hang the part from another.
A plug masks the hole and a strip of tape masks the flat patch: two masks for two shapes on the same foot, each pulled after the cure to leave bare metal.
What to send for a powder coating quote
- Part files
- Drawing revision, material, and overall size.
- Coating
- Powder product or specification, color, texture, and gloss.
- Bare areas
- Threads, holes, and contact faces that stay uncoated.
- Cosmetic faces
- Faces the finished product shows, and where a hanger may touch.
- Service conditions
- Indoor or outdoor use, and exposure to sun, moisture, or chemicals.
- Production
- Quantity, delivery date, and any assembly or packaging.