Expanding Your Powder Coating Business

Question:

I would like to make this suggestion for your correspondent who is looking for a way to expand his powder coating business. You might want to consider getting set up to apply one of the chemically/electrically resistant coatings like Halar, PTFE, etc. It is my understanding that the application process is virtually identical to powder coating and can use most of the same equipment. These coatings are used in the plating and chemical process industries to provide corrosion resistance.

We are an OEM of electroplating equipment and use Halar coating on the clips, which carry parts to be plated through our machines. We have had endless headaches trying to find a supplier who could provide consistently acceptable quality in coating these parts. This is not rocket science; it just requires reasonable care and attention to detail and, in our case, the willingness to add value by providing some handwork finishing steps. Cost per part or per square foot is many times the cost for powder coat paint and only a small part of the difference in cost is attributable to materials. The balance goes to the finisher for labor, overhead, and profit.

This might not provide enough business to justify opening a shop for that application only, but it could provide a supplementary income to your existing powder coat business. Look for repeat business from chemical process plants and from electroplaters (for coating of plating racks). K.G.

Answer:

This is a grand idea. I know of several job shop operations that perform this service. The only problems I see are that most of the plating rack manufacturers supply this service, and they often use liquid-based materials that are air-dried. This may make competing against them difficult on a cost basis. But we both know that if you can provide a superior service in a timelier manner, cost can be a secondary issue. I'll pass your information along. Thanks for reading my column.