Electrocoating (or e-coating) is a finishing process technology used worldwide to achieve high-quality, low-cost finishes at a level of efficiency and environmental compliance no other finishing method approaches.
The process involves submerging metallic products in a charged paint bath and electrically depositing the paint onto the product. With this process, paint only adheres to the intended product. The coating thickness is generally dependent upon the voltage applied to the paint.
Film thickness is easily controllable, unlike other types of coatings. With close-looped recycling, all coating paid for goes on the product.
Less time and money is spent on cleaning and maintaining finishing equipment; as a result, less cost is passed onto the customer.
Unlike other applications, electrocoating requires a smaller worker pool. There are sprayers, paint mixers, touch-up personnel, and strip tank operators for other finishes/coatings; these workers are eliminated or reduced by electrocoating.
Using a water-based chemistry supplied and maintained by PPG, we pretreat non-aluminum stampings and assemblies to prepare the metal substrate for electrocoating. The process begins with two caustic cleaning stages, followed by two rinses, a conditioner stage, zinc phosphate coating, a sealer, and two more rinses before e-coat.
Utilizing PPG-supplied e-coat products, pretreated parts are inducted into a 33,500-gallon e-coat tank. Programmable rectifiers and 30 anodes in the e-coat tank ensure consistent film build regardless of size. A large external cam mechanism provides end-to-end rocking movement of a pallet of parts to further enhance film build consistency and ensure quality. Passing through three post-electrocoating rinse tanks, parts are inducted into an overhead oven where they are cured to a high-quality, corrosion-resistant finish.
Frames are sequenced using an automated scan-to-broadcast system to deliver frames in a 90-minute just-in-time window. The automated system uses lean manufacturing pull system principles to replace frame inventory against received broadcast.
