Are you still painting your products? For many manufacturing companies, painting a product has always been the last stage of production before the finished item undergoes final inspection and is shipped out of the factory. Paint has a long, established history in manufacturing, but is there a better way of finishing your products?

How do you choose a product finishing coating?

When thinking of the most suitable final surface coating for your products, what should you consider? There will be several factors that you will need to balance before you come to a decision. Appearance is obviously important; few customers will want to buy a product that doesn't look attractive. Length of service life is another key factor that you will need to assess; your company reputation is on the line if your products start to wear faster than those of your competitors. Depending on the product or component you are creating, you may need to think about the conditions the coating will have to endure. Will it spend time indoors or outdoors? What temperatures will it face? Will it be subject to repeated impacts? Connected with all of these considerations is the question of cost. You will need to think about not just the initial purchase cost of your coating, but the costs incurred in applying the coating to the product. How many stages are involved? How long will it take? How much coating is wasted? How much workshop space will be needed to apply the coating and store products during coating?

Will you choose paint or powder?

An increasing number of manufacturing businesses are discovering that powder coating can offer all the advantages of a paint finish with few of the disadvantages. Not only is the initial powder not expensive to purchase, but it is quicker, and therefore cheaper, to apply. Painted products general require a 'flash off' stage to remove the solvents from the product. Not only does this add to the production time, but it consumes valuable floorspace. By contrast, once the powder coating is applied to to the product, it can then be placed directly in the oven, no solvents are involved, and production time is reduced.

A powder coating is also less wasteful than a paint finish. With a paint finish, there is always a lot of waste that needs disposal at the end of the process. At the end of the powder coating process, the excess powder can be gathered and reused on the next product batch, saving you money and avoiding environmental pollution.

Choose a powder coating for your next batch of products and discover the advantages it offers to your business.

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