Abrasive blasting is one of the most important steps you can take when powder coating metal components. It's an essential part of cleaning the metal before powder coating ensuring the powder coat lasts a long time and isn't harmed by contaminants on the metal surface.
Blasting offers many advantages, and its proper use can significantly improve the quality of the powder coating and the protection of your metal components.
Learn more about abrasive blasting and how it can help prepare a metal surface before powder coating.
What is Abrasive Blasting?
Abrasive Blasting is a process of blasting components with abrasive media such as Australian garnet, steel grit, copper slag, soda blast and glass beads. One of the main purposes for abrasive blasting is to prepare the surface by creating a profile enabling the coating to bond.
Arkote are able to blast to three pressure variants:
High pressure – to achieve profiles suitable for industrial work.
Medium pressure – to minimise damage to hot dip galvanised coatings.
Ultra-low pressure – on thin panels and delicate substrates.
Is it Necessary to Abrasive Blast Before Powder Coating?
One of the most important steps in the proper powder coating process is to prepare the surface of the metal. It must be entirely clear of any finish or dirt and any other contaminants that could cause the powder coating to not adhere to the surface.
Additionally, if metal surface is not cleaned properly, it’s much more likely that the coating will suffer from peeling, cracking and bubbling from the poor adhesion. Poor surface preparation will also result in the powder coating having a reduced life span. For smooth and long-lasting finish, it’s essential to use abrasive blasting before powder coating.
Can You Powder Coat Over Rust?
It’s not recommended to powder coat over rust. Like other contaminants rust can affect the quality of the coating. It can cause outgassing, bubbles and other various imperfections resulting in a poor-quality finish. The rust will continue to spread and start flaking off and when the rust flakes off, your powder coat will come off with it.
By using abrasive blasting to remove all the rust off the metal parts, you can prevent the negative effects of leaving it there.
The Main Benefits of Abrasive Blasting Prior to Powder Coating
There are several advantages to blasting metal components prior to powder coating.
These benefits range from faster cleaning and removal of tough contaminants to extending the life span of powder coating and making the coating easier to bond with the metal surface.
Below is some more information on the main benefits of using abrasive blasting before powder coating:
Fast cleaning. A major benefit of abrasive blasting is the ability to quickly clean surfaces before powder coating.
Effective removal of tough contaminants. Abrasive blasting effectively removes even the toughest contaminants from metal surfaces like rust and paint.
Greater coating bonding on the metal surface. The abrasive blasting process leaves tiny scratches on the surface, making it easier for powder coating to bond with and sink into the surface. The coating will look much more even and smoother on the metal’s surface.
More effective for different shapes of metal parts (angles & curves). Most metal parts have curves and angles, which are very difficult to sand manually by hand. Blasting makes it much easier to smooth metal parts from hard-to-reach areas.
Longer life span of the coating. Surface preparation using abrasive blasting is a critical step as it helps improve coating’s life span. Since blasting removes contaminants that could cause peeling, cracking, and bubbling as a result the coating will stick to the metal part for a longer time, reducing the frequency of needing replacement coats.
Looking for a Full-Service Surface Coating Partner? Contact Arkote for Advanced Powder Coating Services.
With all the steps, expertise and equipment required to surface treat metal parts you may want to turn to professionals. At Arkote, our team of coating experts is ready to help. Our ability to handle jobs of various sizes, fast turnaround time, exceptional customer service and free transport with a pickup and drop off of your projects make us the go-to option for our customers.
If you have any questions, please contact us on (08) 8276 8811 or request a quote online at www.arkote.com.au/quote