Powder Coating Q&A: Curing Powder and Liquid Paint in One Oven

Q. What are the pros and cons of using a common curing oven for powder coatings and liquid painting? What are the precautions that will need to be taken? Only one process will run during curing.

A. You can cure both types of coating in the same oven, though not at the same time. You will need to be sure the oven has enough temperature range to reach the 400°F needed for powder and hold temperatures in the lower range for the proper cure temperature for liquid, which could be as low as 160°F for some air-dry or catalyzed products.

The exhaust requirement for liquid coating is higher than powder due to the solvent or water that must be evacuated. Be sure you have enough exhaust for the liquid coatings. Some powder may be blown off or fall off the parts in the oven so be aware that you may have to work to keep the oven clean and avoid dirt in your liquid coating. Other than that, you should be able to run both coating types.

 

Originally published in the February 2016 issue.