I have decided to switch my powdercoating from batch ovens to UV lamps. There's a few reasons why but this will take a little getting used to for me to perfect it. The new lamps are very large and can do much larger items like rims that I wasn't able to do before. I'll also be able to do everything much faster as these lamps reach full heta in about 30 seconds and cool in less than that. 0-500* in 30 seconds is awesome when you're trying to cure powder!

sorry for the poor picture quality...it was night time. Also, the flash on my camera cancels out all of the red infa-red lighting. All you see is the red rod....in actuality the whole backing of the lamp is a mirror so when you look at it there appears to be 4-8 different rods. This is partly how it cures so fast. UV lamps cure through line of sight....the more reflection you have the more evenly it'll coat.

I need to build myself a new "curing box" to put the pieces in to be cured. I'll live it with aluminum foil so it's even shinier and after each job just rip out the foil and put some new stuff in....

I'm real excited to see how well this works. If it works pretty well I'll be able to do a lot more coating in a shorter period of time.

The dimensions of the lamp head are about 13" tall and about 3' long......it cures a very big area in one sitting.

 

that's pretty sweet Rod, can you write things in power coating? like say using stencils?

If so you could write whatever you wanted on parts, even the WOMP.

 

i guess you could but defining the edges of the curing powder would be difficult.

All of the womp stuff will be engraved. I know the pulleys will be anodized and engraved and my brackets will be coated here whatever color the buyer wants.

 

That's pretty cool, Is powder coating better then anodizing?

 

depends on what you want to do.

Anodizing is basically taking all of the electrical properties out of the metal...to make it non-conductive. During this process you strengthen the metal (called hard-coating) and it's embedded with a color or pigment. Usually this color is very generic and there's not much selection.

Powdercoating is a method of painting that uses static electricity to ensure even coating without any of the problems associated with paint. Also, powder is much more durable...something like 15X's more resistant to chemicals and wear. Also it's VERY easy to clean..just hit it with a hose.

 

damn, why don't they paint cars with powder then?

 

nothing looks better than a great paint job.....NOTHING.

powdercoating is mainly used on things like this because they are more durable. Engine pieces last longer powder coated than painted...they maintain their niceness longer.

 

Yay!