Protect your sheet metal project and guarantee lasting performance with a quality finish. Fralo’s metal powder coating services deliver a durable, clean finish for a wide range of sheet metal products, including enclosures, cabinets, electrical control panels, brackets, fabricated assemblies, and more. Our focus is on enhancing the appearance and longevity of every product we manufacture.
We take all the necessary steps to achieve consistent coverage, strong adhesion, and reliable protection, from surface preparation to final curing and quality inspection. These components must withstand demanding industrial environments, and our process helps verify coating integrity and long-term performance.
Contact us today to learn more about our powder coating services and other extensive capabilities. We’ve been a trusted partner to OEMs across a wide range of industries since 1979.
Why Powder Coating?
Compared to traditional liquid paint, powder coating offers a wealth of advantages for the look and strength of sheet metal products.
Protection
The most significant benefit of sheet metal powder coating is that it creates a durable finish that prevents corrosion, wear, chemicals, and environmental threats from deteriorating metal products. It also helps reduce chipping, scratching, and abrasion that can affect a product appearance, perceived quality, and brand reputation.
Appearance
Another reason to choose powder coating for fabricated metal components is the clean, attractive appearance it provides. It offers uniform coverage that can be made into a variety of different finishes, such as matte, satin, gloss, textured, metallic, and more. Unlike liquid paint, the application of powder coating doesn’t leave runs or drips that can take away from the look of the product. Plus, powder coating offers great color retention, making it an excellent choice for electrical enclosures and machine components that often rely on color coding for safety purposes.
Sustainability
Did you know that powder coating can be a great way to reduce your brand’s carbon footprint? That’s right. Sheet metal powder coating is an environmentally friendly choice as it contains little to no solvents and produces very few volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Moreover, with powder coating there is very little waste, and any oftentimes any overspray powder can be reclaimed and reused.
Common Types of Metal Powder Coatings
There are several powder types to choose from, depending on the application. Some of the most common include:
- Epoxy: High hardness and durability provide protection against corrosion, chemicals, oils, fuels, and other solvents.
- Polyester: More general-purpose powder coating. Resistant to harsh weather and strong UV rays. but not as resistant to chemicals as epoxy. This makes it not the best choice for highly corrosive industrial environments without special formulations.
- Epoxy-Polyester Hybrid: Balances performance and cost-effectiveness, as it has the combined qualities of epoxy and polyester. Has good mechanical durability, but not as strong UV resistance. This is a better option for indoor uses like metal shelving rather than harsh-outdoor applications.
- Polyurethane: A leading choice when appearance and durability are required. Has a smooth finish, scratch resistance, chemical resistance, and gloss retention. This is most often used for premium appliances, architectural products, and decorative metal work.
Fralo’s Powder Coating Process
Many sheet metal manufacturers just fabricate a part and send it off to another vendor for finishing, but Fralo offers everything in-house. Our powder coating line runs about four feet per minute and is one of the few UL-certified powder coating lines in the U.S. It is a great option for industrial equipment, enclosures, cabinets, and any product that requires a durable finish. Below is a bit more about our process and how we achieve consistent results:
Preparing the Surface
- Degreasing: For the powder to strongly adhere to a sheet metal component, the component must be cleaned and prepped. This includes degreasing, where any oils, lubricants, or other contaminants from the fabrication process are removed.
- Rinsing: Next, our machines rid the component of dirt, dust, and other residues using demineralized water.
- Mechanical Treatment: Depending on the component, sanding, blasting, or brushing may be required to get the surface ready for the powder coating application.
- Chemical Pretreatment: This involves a coating of phosphate, zirconium, or other chemicals to aid in the adhesion of the powder and makes the powder more resistant to corrosion.
- Drying: The component is then completely dried. This is because any remaining moisture can negatively affect the adhesion and curing of the powder.
Applying the Powder
- Powder Coating: After all surface preparation steps are complete automatic sprayers apply the powder, in the exact color you have chosen, evenly across all areas of the metal component.
- Pre-Curing Inspection: Before moving into the curing stage, our metal powder coating professionals check the component for even coverage, film thickness, surface defects, and any other issues. This ensures that any application errors get resolved before the component is moved into our industrial oven for curing.
Curing and Cooling
- Curing: The component is placed into the oven that is heated between 320–430°F and is in there for ten to thirty minutes depending on the type of powder coating. During the curing process, the powder particles melt, the coating flows into a film, and chemical cross-linking occurs.
- Cooling: The coating cools and hardens into a durable, protective finish with a clean appearance.
- Quality Check: Our team conducts final quality testing to ensure the color consistency, gloss level, film thickness, adhesion, surface appearance, and durability are as expected.
Contact Fralo for Superior Metal Powder Coating
OEMs and industrial companies partner with Fralo because they can get all their sheet metal manufacturing needs in one place, including powder coating. We work with you to select the most suitable type of powder and texture for your application. From there, our machines prep and apply the powder coating, achieving strong adhesion and uniform coverage. We do a final check to make sure the powder coating aligns with your needs and our high standards. Contact us today to learn how we can help improve the durability and appearance of your sheet metal parts.