Stoving Enamel

Dear Sir,
Can anyone tell me which is better powder coating or Painting with Stoving Enamel and baking? Which process will have more adhesion on the parent metal (CR Mild Steel)? Thanks!!

M.SIVAKUMAR
Metal Forms (P) Ltd, - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

If one is "better", why do you suppose the inferior one is sometimes specified, M? I would suspect that neither is "better", but only that one is more appropriate for a particular situation . . . but you haven't detailed the particular situation yet.

Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Dear Mooney,
I wanted to know the comparison between Powder coating and Spray painting with Stoving Enamel.Since we are sending our items - Bumpers - for powder coating to a Company with is 30 Kms away from my company and also I do have problems like handling damage while pre-treating the items. I have planned to go for Spray painting with Stoving Enamel thereby avoiding sending mt items for powder coating. My items have been made by CRCA Low carbon steel sheets. Kindly give your explanations on camparison between Powder coating and Stoving enamel in terms of adhesion,hardness,reworking,etc.,I hope I have given enough details. Thank you. Have a good day!

M.SIVAKUMAR
Metal Forms (P) Ltd., Chennai - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

The biggest advantage of powder coating is probably its environmental friendliness because no solvents are required. The largest advantage of stoving enamels is probably appearance; most autos are still painted rather than powder coated.

Adhesion has more to do with pretreatment than the final finish, and hardness has more to do with the resin system (epoxy, polyester, acrylic, etc.) than whether it was deposited by a powder or solvent system.

There are readers here who have more expertise in this question than I do, and hopefully they will chime in. My initial response was directed at getting enough info posted here that your questions could be answered, and hopefully that is the case.

Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Dear Mr. Siva,

By all means Powder coating will be superior than liquid coating for Auto components.This I am telling out of my experience with both the processes.The basic advantages are very quick output, very less rejections,less enviroinmental problems(VOC),less time required for training painters(hardly a day required for developing a powder coater).Apart from that you are having better abration resistance with powder coating compared to liquid.This will reduce your transport & handling damages.Also when you compare the cost of powder coating for an equalent liquid coating, definetly powder stands far ahead.

But remember powder coating cannot be substituted for certain products which calls for reduced thickness.

You have to spend time to select a good vendor for coating.You have to inspect the facility, particularly the phosphate pretreatment.Please check whether the bath chemical is from reputed manufacturer and also whether they are maintained properly(daily log sheets-FA,TA,Temp,etc.,).You do have few good vendors specialised in both the processes at Chennai.Try them. Kms will not matter if you get a good vendor.This will avoid your main head-ache on coating.

But it is nothing like that to have your own Paintshop.If you plan for that, go for Powder coating why again liquid?.

Choice is yours based on your requirement or your product requirement.

Good Luck

With Regards,

S.Thiagarajan
- Dubai, U.A.E.

Dear Mr.Ted and Mr.Thiagarajan,
I thank you both for giving me your suggestions from your vast experiences. Since my Factory is located nearer to a drinking water reservoir, we could not provide full-fledged pre-treatement plant. This is Pollution Control Board's restriction.Sending our items to a Company located far away from my Factory leads to transit damages to our items. Hence we have planned to use 3 in 1 chemical (consisting of de-rusting,de-greasing and phosphating chemicals as a single pack)by brush application and do spray painting with stoving Enamel.Help me whether this will achieve 300 salt spray testing.Our items are Bumpers for heavy vehicles made with Low Carbon Steels (Mild Steel).
God bless you.
With warm regards,
M.Sivakumar.

M.SIVAKUMAR
Manufacturing - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

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