Specialized machines are the heartbeat of manufacturing and production. Before final coating and finishing, special machinery cleans and pretreats products, ensuring a clean and adhesive surface before final paint is applied. Pneu-Mech offers thorough and reliable pretreatment machines, removing all contaminants and evenly applying a pretreatment coating for long-lasting results.
The most common substrates that need pretreatment are metals, like aluminum and steel. Plastics and glass occasionally require this as well. In general, pretreatment is necessary if the surface will receive a final coating during the later stages of the finishing process. Each kind of substrate needs a particular type of pre-treatment to ensure maximum adhesion of e-coat, powder and liquid finishes.
In addition, different pretreatment chemistries are used to produce higher quality results. The most common types are iron phosphate, zinc phosphate and zirconium. At Pneu-Mech, we offer efficient, customizable, and easily operable pretreatment machines for every finishing application.
Streamline your assembly line with our pretreatment equipment. Our machines offer many advantages that will make them well worth your investment.
Manufacturers have different needs from their finishing processes which is why Pneu-Mech offers three different pretreatment configurations. Three different predefined machine levels are available to accommodate your needs of product quality levels, ease of maintenance, energy efficiency, water management and machine longevity.
Powder coating, e-coating, and liquid finishing each have specific applications dictated by the type of finishing and substrate of a part. We can help you determine the best setup for the kinds of products that you manufacture. This way, you can maximize the benefits of each pretreatment type. Here are some of the advantages to look forward to:
This type of pretreatment is designed for parts that will use powder containing pigment, leveling agents, and curing chemicals. Typically, these are applied using electrostatic sprays and cured using heat or infra-red light. This results in an even and strong coating that’s highly resistant to fading and corrosion caused by constant motion or exposure to the elements.
Because of the powder’s loose form, pretreatment is necessary to make the coating bind with the substrate more effectively. Most pretreatment coatings use either detergent iron phosphate or crystalline zinc phosphate, which provide cleaning and corrosion resistance. They also increase adhesion for long-lasting coatings. In addition, they can help create an even surface for equal shine and uniform thickness, resulting in a premium appearance.
The most common application for powder coating pretreatments are parts that need high corrosion protection. These include automobile parts and exposed building components.
Depending on the properties of your components, they may need liquid coatings. A few types of metals, plastics, and other types of substrates are best suited for liquid paint, which can be applied via sprays or rotary bells. Pretreatment is necessary for this type of finishing to maximize adhesion.
Liquid finishing pretreatments offer benefits like increased adherence and enhanced fade resistance. The process also removes all other chemicals, contaminants, and substances that may react with the volatile ingredients used in liquid finishings.
Because of the versatility of liquid coatings, their use is widespread. They can be found in commercial vehicles, aviation and aerospace industries, and health and medical technology. Because of these applications, a good pretreatment coating is necessary to ensure maximum performance and longevity.
Among the three types of finishing available today, e-coating is most commonly used on products that require a high level of corrosion resistance. It stands for electrophoretic coating painting, and it uses electricity to chemically bind the paint to the surface of a conductive substrate. That’s why this method is mostly limited to metal parts. These are usually immersed in a tank of finishing coating while a current is applied.
Because of this delicate process, e-coating pretreatment is necessary to ensure that nothing goes wrong. The process will clean, rinse and apply a conversion coating to the exposed surface of a component to remove oils and grease that can reduce conductivity. This is done before the e-coating stages ensuring the pretreatment will create a proper surface, resulting in a coating that lasts for an extended amount of time.
Typically, e-coating pretreatment and e-coating are used for components that go in household appliances, metal decking, automotive under-body components and heavy-duty industrial machinery. These need to withstand corrosion and constant motion, which the coating is made to do.
If you need a high quality, customized pretreatment system for your production floor, Pneu-Mech can design and install it. Contact us today to learn more about our pretreatment solutions and how we can help improve your production process.