You are a manager or owner entrusted with the responsibility of selecting a
new powder coating equipment for your plant. You need to buy a new equipment or you are looking for
the replacement of your existing supplier due to poor service and/or you have better technology
supplier.
Powder coating process is a very equipment intensive process. It's a very crucial decision, as your
selection will have a direct impact on your company's profitability. This article will be useful if you are
looking for a single system or you want a complete automatic plant.
First and foremost question you need to clarify in your mind is why you need a powder coating gun?
You need a powder coating gun to charge the powder electrostatically so the powder adheres to object
till it reaches in the oven and to spray the powder in such a way that it delivers uniform film thickness.
Now that you know what you want, address next question "what do you expect from a good powder
coating gun?"
The answer is very simple. A good equipment must ensure-
1) Consistent 100 KV at gun tip voltage.
2) Uniform flow of powder for uniform powder deposition.
3) The machine should be easy to operate and maintain. The manufactures or his representative
should be accessible to get spares parts and support on time and that too at reasonable price.
After knowing this you may asked that what will happen if my equipment does not have all what I said.
The answer is very simple-
1) You will have a higher coating cost.
2) You will have uneven powder thickness, which will not only increases the powder consumption but
also create rejection.
3) If your manufacturer is not directly and easily contactable in difficult times for application support
your machine will be down and you will not able to produce your target objects.
4) If the spares are not easily available or it's very expensive it will take away your profit.
The above mentioned points will help you to make back-of-the envelop analysis for the various powder
coating gun suppliers. All available powder coating guns in the market don't have everything. You need
to evaluate the strength and weakness of the suppliers and select who can deliver you a profitable
coating solution for time to come.
With the help of this commonsense approach you will be able to select the most suitable equipment
which will deliver you uninterrupted powder coating and lowest ownership cost.
Hope this article will help you to take the correct decision.