View A Video on Coating Services- A Quick Introduction
Coatings are used to impart certain desired qualities onto the surface of a product. Able to be applied in any state - liquid, gas or solid - coatings are utilized in a vast range of plastic and metal finishing processes. Coatings are classified in several ways, ranging from the material being used (such as
phosphate coatings), the state of the material being used (such as
powder coatings) and the type of material being used (such as
metal coatings). Some of the more common
industrial coatings include
ceramic coatings,
rubber coatings and
steel coatings.
Teflon coatings are best known for their non-stick properties and
conformal coatings are best for the protection of electrical circuitry from environmental factors like dust and moisture that can cause mechanical failure.
Epoxy coatings utilize highly adhesive materials and are typically applied on automotive or industrial parts applications.
Plasma coatings are a rare, specialized type of coating service using tougher materials like carbide and can resist extremely high temperatures.
Metal finishing is used to shape components and improve the bonding of adhesives. Some desirable characteristics of a coating include magnetic properties, water-resistant properties and anti-reflection properties. An essential part of many finished products, coating services are used in a wide variety of applications and in industries such as industrial manufacturing, food and beverage, medical, automotive and electronics.
A broad spectrum of coating services are available. When it comes to deciding which coating should be used, one must take the application into consideration. Coatings can be chosen based on factors like whether they have the desired properties and how cost-efficient they are for the particular application. Devices and parts that can be coated are: steel or concrete materials, surgical blades, orthopedic implants, dental instruments, bearings, beltings, gaskets, pumps, valves and electric circuitry. Some applications require hard coatings like ceramic or steel, while others require soft coatings like rubber. Ceramic coatings are non-metallic coatings that offer the advantage of being able to be used at extremely high temperatures. As inorganic materials, ceramic coatings are extremely hard as well as corrosion resistant. Steel coating is another type of hard protective coating. Steel is a metal alloy mostly consisting of iron. Steel coatings refer to the various coating used to coat steel to provide it with additional strength, durability and corrosion-resistance. Conversely, rubber coatings are highly elastic materials and although they are not used in the same way as hard protective coatings, they are used for protective applications. In addition, rubber coating works extremely well as a sealant, and it is often used to protect parts from various forms of moisture such as water or liquid chemicals.
Different coatings are better suited for specific applications, and some applications require more complicated methods of coating. Therefore some fairly specialized industrial coating processes exist. Some of the more specialized forms of coating include powder coating, phosphate coating and conformal coating. Powder coating is crucial to the industrial manufacturing sector and is an important process for many diverse applications. Powder coating is the process of applying a dry and free-flowing powdered paint to a substrate. Able to produce thicker coatings than traditional liquid coatings, powder coating is also typically a much more cost-efficient process. It can, however, be difficult to control how smooth the surface texture of a powder-coated part turns out to be. In phosphate coating, phosphoric acid is utilized in order to create the coating. Phosphate salts such as manganese, zinc and iron are dissolved in a phosphoric acid solution and when substrates are immersed in the solution the coating is formed as a result of a chemical reaction. Consequentially, phosphate coatings are a form of electroless coating because they do not require the use of electricity in order to deposit a thin layer of the desired material onto the substrate. Many different methods are used to achieve conformal coating. The coating can be applied manually or mechanically using brushing, spraying or dipping techniques. This type of coating is mainly used to protect electric circuitry.
Lastly, there are several coating processes that are even more specialized than the aforementioned processes. Two of these specialty coating processes include epoxy coating and plasma coating. Epoxy coatings are more common than plasma coatings and utilize epoxy resins, or thermosetting polymers, which are highly adhesive materials. Epoxy coatings are typically two-part and can be either water- or solvent-based. This type of coating service is typically used on automotive and industrial parts and products because epoxy coatings offer many advantages that work well for these applications including exceptional hardness, ultraviolet (UV) resistance and low volatility. A much more rare coating service, plasma coating refers to the method used to coat the substrate rather than the coating material itself. Plasma coatings can be wide-ranging but characteristically tough materials such as carbide, ceramic, aluminum oxides and stainless steel. As a type of spray application coating, plasma coating services are achieved by means of an extremely hot thermal spray (that exceeds the melting point of any known material) in which plasma flames are generated. The plasma is typically formed as a result of either one of or a mixture of one of these four materials: helium, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen.
Coating Services Types
- ,
including forced-air dried coatings, are those which are not heated
above 194ºF (90°C) for coating or drying.
-
utilize compressed air to spray liquid coating through a small opening
at high pressure. The materials are not mixed with air before being
sprayed through the nozzle.
-
are heated to a temperature of 194ºF (90°C) in order to cure or dry
them.
- Ceramic coating services enable the deposition of inorganic ceramic materials onto another
material, typically metal, that is referred to as the substrate.
- is a thin-film coating process that produces a film by
a chemical reaction. CVD processes often use unstable elements to coat
cemented carbide inserts.
- have good corrosion resistance and provide a good base
for paint or rubber bonding. However, chromate conversion coatings have
little to no abrasion resistance.
- Conformal coating
is a process in which dielectric coating, such as epoxy, urethane, parylene,
acrylic and silicone, is sprayed onto a substrate. Conformal coatings
are used to protect products from fungus, moisture, abrasion, corrosion,
etc.
-
is a lubrication process that helps to prevent scuffing and galling,
reduces friction, provides extra protection by preventing damage from
oil film failure and aids in the distribution of heat, resulting in
less metal fatigue, which reduces the chance of part failure. Dry film
coating does not cause any dimensional changes to the product to which
it is applied, because it is impregnated directly into the metal surface.
- ,
also known as "electrodeposition," "electrophoretic
deposition" or "electropainting," is a process that
resembles electroplating, in that it uses an electric current to apply
thin-film primers and one-coat finishes onto the metallic substrates.
However, this organic finishing process does not deposit metal ions
onto the substrates, but rather, waterborne paint.
- is a quick, easy, economical chemical reduction application
process that avoids the use of electrolytic energy. Electroless nickel
plating is ideal for small parts, provides an even, uniform layer, leaves
no anode shadow, does not pose disposal problems and can be applied
to many metals, including all steels, irons, copper, brass, bronze,
lead free solders and nickel alloys.
-
is a process in which the paint is given a negative or positive charge
before it is sprayed and the workpiece is oppositely charged, resulting
in the attraction of the paint particles, uniform dispersion and reduction
of waste. Electrostatic spraying, which is well-suited to automation
because it increases production rate, reduces corrosion, protects against
scratching, stops contact with air, water, chemicals, etc., alters appearance
of workpieces and gives good finishes.
- Epoxy coating is the process of applying a thin layer of an epoxy, which includes a
variety of typically thermosetting polymer resins, over another
material such as plastic or metal.
-
is a method used to apply plastic materials to a substrate. Hot melt
coating is frequently used on papers and books and does not necessitate
the use of solvents.
- Industrial coating services encompass a wide range of processes used to deposit a thin
layer of materials onto a part, referred to as a substrate, that is
typically metallic but may also be a polymer.
-
are very dense and are highly wear- and corrosion-resistant.
- is
a process by which a plastic transparent film is applied to one or both
sides of a product. Most frequently used for paper products, the laminate
enhances both decorative and protective qualities.
-
are applied by spraying-atomizing the paint into a fine mist-and
depositing the mist on the surface of the part, where the tiny droplets
flow together to form a film. Liquid paint coatings are available in
a wide variety of colors and contain binders, solvents and pigment.
-
is a coating process that is used in the pretreatment of iron and steel
surfaces prior to painting, especially military equipment that requires
oil or greased paints. Manganese phosphate coatings are highly corrosion
and wear resistant.
-
is the application of a thin or series of thin coats of any of various
metals. Some types of metal coatings include electroless nickel plating, phosphate and chromium.
- removes surface to produce a flat, even surface.
-
is a process that removes excess iron molecules from the surface of
stainless steel products, typically with the use of nitric acid solutions.
The danger of rust then becomes negligible.
-
chemically convert the surface of a base metal into a non-metallic,
crystalline coating.
- is a thin-film process in which a material is placed inside
a vacuum chamber and vaporized. The atoms are transported across the
chamber onto the substrate and condense into a film on the substrate.
- Plasma coating is the process of utilizing plasma flames in order to spray various coating materials onto metal substrates.
- Plastic coating is a layer of plastic material that is dried on top of a substrate.
Plastic coating is ideal for odd shapes and when materials need to be
coated entirely.
- eliminates the need for polishing by applying dry paint to a component.
- Rubber coating is the process of coating a metal or plastic substrate with a protective outer surface layer of elastomeric material.
- Steel coating refers to the substrate, which is the steel workpiece, being coated, rather than the coating material itself.
- are utilized for such items as cooking utensils and
other industrial applications, because of the non-sticking characteristic
of Teflon.
-
are typically zinc or aluminum and are heated until liquefied. Liquid
drops are then blown by means of a compressed air jet onto the substrate,
creating a porous coat.
- ,
which include physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition
(CVD), are used predominantly in the manufacturing of electrical devices.
-
is a process in which the coating material is applied in a vacuum chamber
to the substrate. Usually the material is vaporized and then transferred
through a chamber to the substrate.
-
is a paint pretreatment that is commonly used to develop good bonding
qualities between the paint and the galvanized or galvannealed coatings
on steel sheets and is applied while the steel is in a coil, to the
cut sheet or to the fabricated article. Zinc phosphate coatings greatly
aid paint adhesion, in that they dramatically decrease the tendency
for paint disbondment during subsequent atmospheric exposure in a corrosive
environment.
Coating Services Terms
-
The strength of the coating bond to the substrate. Some techniques for
measuring adhesion include the tape test, scratch adhesion test and stud-pull-off
test.
- Tools
used to apply an adhesive or bonding agent, including squeeze bottles,
pressure tanks, glue guns and coating machinery.
- A non-volatile material,
commonly a resin, in a coating that forms a film by binding the pigment
and additive particles together.
- A chemical agent,
sometimes added to waterborne coatings, which prevents microbial degradation
by killing the organisms that cause it.
- A compound
made from tar or asphalt that provides a protective finish for a surface.
- A machine
used to apply defect-free films to products. Factors that affect the quality
of the coating include line speed, viscosity and percent solids.
- The ability of a
substance to adhere to itself. When delamination occurs within a material,
it is referred to as cohesive failure.
- Also known as
"cohesive failure," it is the separation of a coating from
its substrate. Delamination can also refer to the division among multiple
coating layers.
- A material that is quite
stable when exposed to harsh environments and is applied to such products
as semiconductors, chemical processing, wire, cable, piping and tubing.
Hylar is useful in the preparation of corrosion-resistant coatings for
chemical process equipment and durable decorative finishes on building
panels, due to its ability to be dissolved at high temperatures in certain
polar solvents, such as esters and ketones.
- A glass-fiber, reinforced
polyamide nylon material that provides superior insulation, strength and
durability, especially on windows.
- A material used in coating
applications to provide high mechanical and dielectric strength, thermal
stability and abrasion, chemical and solvent, UV and radiation and weathering
resistance. Kynar coatings have been used as pipe liners in chemical processing
plants, on equipment that is constantly exposed to high concentration
of chlorine and chlorine dioxide, typically in paper and pulp processing
plants, and in silicon microcircuit fabrication.
- An atypical polymer
conformal coating that conforms to almost any shape.
- The material that
is being coated.
- An adhesion
test for coatings that normally uses a diamond stylus to apply a force
to the coating. The test is affected by factors that include the substrate
material and its hardness, the geometry of the part and the thickness
and hardness of the coating.
-
An adhesion test in which a stud containing a head with a specified surface
area is epoxy-glued to the coating. A machine pulls on the stud with amplifying
force until it is pulled off.
- An adhesion
test in which a certified tape is adhered to a coating and removed. If
any coating is observed on the tape, it is a sign of an adhesive problem.
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