Various industries require the use of heavy-duty equipment, including lawn or turf (grounds) management, construction, transportation, mining, forestry, farming, defense, aerospace, and material handling. Heavy equipment manufacturers must build this equipment to be highly durable as it’s often pushed to its limits in terms of carrying the heaviest loads imaginable. This equipment is also often exposed to various conditions, including materials and weather.
Heavy duty equipment powder coating, like what our Asheboro, NC team does at Matlab, Inc., can help extend the life of this expensive machinery while also allowing it to better withstand the demands placed on it.
What Is Powder Coating?
The easiest way to explain what powder coating is to describe it as a type of polymer resin that can be applied to metal products. It comes in a dry powder that can be applied via an electrostatic process using a spray-gun.
In other words, an electric charge ensures the free-flowing powder is bonded to the metal. A coater uses ultraviolet lights or curing ovens to set the sprayed-on powder particles, not only to give it a smoother appearance but, perhaps most importantly, to create a stronger finish than the underlying paint.
Benefits Associated With Powder Coating
As hinted above, powder coated heavy equipment is high-quality and has more hardness, meaning it’s less apt to become damaged than a merely painted surface. A powder coated paint surface is, therefore, less likely to show signs of:
- Chipping
- Wear and tear
- Scratches
- Fading
Quality powder coating is also effective at resisting oxygen and water, thus preventing oxidation, which causes rust. These corrosion resistance properties ensure your equipment will last longer, meaning you get more out of your investment.
What Types of Heavy Duty Equipment Powder Coating Finishes Exist?
When many owners consider powder protective coatings, they often envision there being few powder coat colors and textures (surface finishing options) to choose from. That’s certainly not the case with powder coating for construction equipment or agricultural powder coating, though.
Powder coat paint options are expansive and include color-matching and custom color choices. Aside from powder coat paint options, there are also multiple finishes to choose from. Some powder coat finish options include:
- Iridescent
- Hammer toned
- Clear
- Flat
- Matte
- Fluorescent
- High-gloss
Once you select your powder coated heavy equipment’s finish, you can add a texture. Some popular coated finish textured appearance options include:
- Wrinkled
- Candied
- Glitter
Each of these types of powder coating for construction equipment or agricultural powder coating is ideal for giving your machinery more of a rough texture look that is effective at hiding surface imperfections.
Understanding How Powder Coating Is Applied
Powdercoating is appropriate for agricultural and farming equipment of all sizes and functions, whether you want to protect it from rain, sun, or other weather or environmental factors.
Powder coating agricultural equipment is a multi-step process that involves:
- Preparing the metallic surface
- Prime coating the metal parts
- Applying powder coatings to desired surfaces
Powder Coating for Construction Equipment
Construction equipment that contractors often have powder coated include:
- Bulldozers
- Cranes
- Loaders
- Tractors
- Excavators
- Forklifts
- Backhoes
This list of potential construction equipment that may be well-suited for powdercoating isn’t exhaustive. Pretty much any heavy equipment used in the commercial construction industry that will be left out in the elements and used for earthworks should be protected by powdercoating it.
Agricultural Powder Coating
Farming or ground management equipment owners often have powder coated includes:
- Lawn mowers
- Farm tractors
- Tillers
- Harvesters
- Seed drills
- Cultivators
- Manure spreaders
- Ploughs
- Balers
- Agruicultural sprinklers
Again, the list above is far from exhaustive, but gives you an example of agricultural equipment that you can extend the life of by taking time to have it powder coated.
Construction and Agricultural Equipment Parts Best Suited for Powder Coating
If you’re curious as to what types of farming or construction heavy machinery parts can be powder coated, ones that owners typically apply a coating to include:
- Springs
- Brackets
- Chassis
- Wheel rims
- Oil Pans
- Roll bars or cages
- Struts
While most metal products are appropriate for custom powder coating, some are not. Some of the ones that powder coating is appropriate for include the following types of steel:
- Electroplated steel
- Stainless steel
- Galvanized steel
- Mild steel
Powder coating is also appropriate for metals such as steel alloys, stainless steel, and aluminum.
Virtually any part can be powder coated so long as it doesn’t contain wood, rubber, plastic, or any other material with a high melt rate.
How Long Does Powdercoating Take?
Powder coating is a single-application process that differs from the multiple coats required with paints. Despite there not being multiple coating applications, there are multiple stages powder coated equipment must undergo to ensure transfer efficiency.
Pretreatment or surface preparation, which may include stripping and sandblasting, is necessary to ensure proper adhesion of the powder paint. This part of the powder coating application process can take nearly an hour per part.
After pre treatment, applying the actual coating powder can take another few hours per part covered. It takes as long as 10-15 minutes for the powder application to bake at a high temperature to cure. The temp in the powder coating oven is between 300-400 degrees.
As you can likely see, the turnaround time to carry out powder coating for construction equipment or handle agricultural powder coating is relatively short.
If you choose a powder coating finish, this may add additional time to your project’s completion.
How Long Do Powder Coated Surfaces Last?
Powder coating generally has a 20-year lifespan but can sometimes last as long as 40 years. The curing oven process allows the powders to thermoset, leading to the development of chemical bonds. This process, in turn, makes the surface extremely heat-resistant, reducing the risk of melt away.
A powdercoated surface contributes to less production downtime since painting or powdercoating doesn’t have to be repeated multiple times during a piece of heavy equipment’s lifespan. A good rule of thumb is that the powdercoat should last the lifespan of your heavy duty equipment.
Environmental factors such as extreme weather and ultraviolet (UV) light can deteriorate the coating much faster than anticipated.
Know that there are various powder coatings, some of which have different uses and longer lifespans than others.
Powdercoating options include:
- Fluoropolymer: This option is ideal for heavy-duty equipment that will be utilized outdoors as it provides weather-resistant capabilities
- Polyester Powder Coating: Polyesters are a popular option that can be applied to equipment. Polyester powder coated items can be used inside or outside
- Urethane: Polyurethane tends to provide more longevity than other powder coating options
- Epoxy Powder Coating: Fusion bonded epoxy powder coated equipment is primarily used indoors. However, epoxies used for heavy duty equipment powder coating may also be suitable for outdoors due to it having an ultraviolet topcoat
What To Know About Our Powdercoating Services at Matlab, Inc.
Our team here at Matlab., Inc. has a long history of providing powder coating services to construction companies, farmers, and other owners of heavy-duty equipment in Greensboro, NC and throughout the Greater Piedmont Triad.
Our coating plant is confident in its ability to provide you with electrostatic powder application and a durable finish on a relatively short turn around. The industrial coating work we do here at Matlab, Inc. affords you corrosion-protection, which can ensure you get your money’s worth out of your investment in your heavy equipment.
Take time to review our website for additional details about our coating facility at Matlab, Inc. You’ll find details about our powder coating system, including our powder coating equipment and the types of results you can expect once your machinery is cured. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the process or to request a quote.
