Factories and other companies that need to apply coatings to equipment and parts have a lot of choices now, and choosing the best coating isn’t always easy. Marketing makes many look very good, but how do you know which one is right for your specific equipment? You’ll have to look at a number of factors to find the best match.
How Feasible Is the Required Surface Preparation?
First, no matter what you apply where surface preparation is going to be essential. And you have to be able to carry out the preparation procedures properly. If the coating requires a procedure that can’t be done given where the equipment (that needs the coating) is located, then that coating obviously isn’t the best. But there are more subtle issues at play as well. Maybe the preparation takes too long compared to how quickly you need to get the parts coated and shipped out. Or, maybe the preparation requires many quick steps that don’t take long, but other coatings only require a few steps for preparation. You have to ensure that the coating you choose isn’t going to end up annoying your employees to the point where they dread working with it.
Is UV Resistance Necessary?
Any parts or equipment that will be exposed to sunlight or UV lights, even indirect light, should have UV resistance built into the coating they receive. No UV resistance means premature fading and drying out, which itself can lead to cracking and chipping. This is one of the easiest choices because you either need the UV resistance or you don’t.
What Is the Coating Supposed to Do?
Coatings are supposed to protect items and make them look better, but that’s not all. Will the coating come into contact with water or another liquid? Is the coating meant more for protection or more for cosmetic appearance? Is the coating supposed to be nonstick, like Excalibur Coating? This may seem like a really obvious question because who’s going to choose a coating that’s not nonstick if they know they need nonstick? But you’d be surprised at how easy it is to overlook a condition or two given how much else you need to evaluate when choosing a coating.
Is the Environment Suitable for the Coating?
In addition to UV resistance and whether it’s going to be exposed to something, you have to consider whether the coating will be on a part that will remain inside in a climate-controlled zone, be outside in extreme temperatures, be exposed to smoky conditions and retardant chemicals (such as in firefighting), and so on. For parts that will sit outside, you even need to consider who might hang around the part; for example, the coating on a handrail by a set of steps leading to a building doesn’t sound like the harshest environment — until a bunch of people with skateboards decides that handrail is perfect for practicing skateboard tricks. There’s a reason so many companies sell skateboard deterrents for handrails.
How Much and What Types of Resistance Are Needed?
Finally, you need a really good idea of what types of corrosion resistance coatings and coating strength you need. Are you looking to prevent basic rusting, or will the equipment be exposed to actively corrosive liquids? Are those UV rays the only issue, or do you need coatings that won’t fail if the equipment bends a bit under stress? The wrong coating can develop cracks, blisters, and more.
Contact Sun Coating Company to find out more about what each coating offers so you can choose the best one for your business. We can help you sort through all the options and find a coating that’s most likely to give your equipment the coverage and protection it needs.