Paint Systems - Application

Paint can be applied in numerous ways. It can be applied by brush or roller, by spray guns, by dipping, by roller applicators, by applying electricity, or by your fingers! There are certain considerations to determine the most effective way to be employed in choosing the best technology available.

1. Cost
How much are you willing to spend in putting up your facilities? This will also dictate operating expenses that you will be incurring. This will also dictate the type of paint you will be using. Depending on the throughput that will go through the facilities, it is best to consider not only the present requirement but, also future expansions of the line as well as downgrades. Electrodeposition or ecoat lines normally require bigger capital expenditures compared with powder coating lines, but it is cheaper to run an electrodeposition line compared with a powdercoating line. Ecoat baths can be used indefinitely as long as the paint bath quality is maintained, as long as there are no contamination issues encountered. Powdercoat can only be used twice, then discarded.

2. Quality

The technology to be used can also be dictated by the quality of the appearance finish of the surface to be painted. Gloss, roughness, color are some properties that may be of great significance. If the thickness of the paint film to be applied is an issue, if thickness should be between 20~25 microns, a brush application is not applicable, similarly, if thickness requirement for a paint film is over 100 microns thick, electrodeposition is not an option.

3. Parts to be painted

The size of the parts or surfaces to be painted should also be considered. Some parts sizes and shapes are not possible to be painted by powdercoating. A Faraday cage phenomenon is a very big consideration. In OEM painting, plastic or metal parts would dictate the paint technologies applicable.

Other factors may eventually come up as the painting process is being conceived. Some factors may weigh more than others and a thorough investigation and further study should be performed to assimilate most, if not all, all these concerns.