# Powder Coating

https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/powder-coating

Powder coating bonds a cured film of color, texture, and gloss to a metal part by spraying it with charged dry powder and heating it. K-Display, a Chicago sheet metal fabricator, powder coats steel, stainless steel, and aluminum parts, with press-in hardware installed first.

## Overview
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.

## Materials
- Carbon steel
- Galvanized steel
- Galvanneal
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum

## Applications
- 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.

## Process
- 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 considerations
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.

## FAQ
**Is powder coating performed in-house?**
Yes. K-Display lists powder coating as an in-house capability alongside fabrication and assembly.

**What finish details should be included?**
Provide color or specification, texture or gloss expectations, masking needs and the surfaces that are cosmetic or functional.

## Related pages
- [Part Marking & Product Graphics](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/part-marking-product-graphics)
- [Hardware Installation](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/hardware-installation)
- [Assembly & Value-Added Services](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/assembly)
- [MIG & TIG Welding](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/welding/mig-tig-welding)
- [Custom Machine Housings & Covers](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers/machine-housings-covers)
- [Custom Conveyor Guards, Covers & Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers/conveyor-guards-covers-brackets)
- [Custom Sheet Metal Mounting Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/mounting-brackets)
- [Custom Industrial Carts & Dollies](https://kdisplay.com/products/carts-racks-bins/industrial-carts-dollies)