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Skid Row Offroad™ products are powder coated to provide a durable, long lasting, and environmentally friendly finish! |
| We know that many people are curious about why we use powder coating instead of paint. Here's why... |
As an environmentally conscious company there are several advantages that powder coating has over conventional liquid (paint) coatings.
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Our Powder Coating Process In order to provide the best quality, longest lasting finish possible, our products go through a multi-stage coating process that is literally state-of-the-art! |
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Removing Rust and Scale For the powder to properly adhere to the steel substrate, the steel must be completely free of contaminants such as oil, rust, weld scale, and mill scale. These contaminants must be thoroughly removed or the finish will not stick to the part for long. Cast steel shot or steel grit is used to clean and prepare the surface before coating. The blasting media is recycled during the process and helps the environment by producing less landfill. |
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Pre-treatment Process After the part is free of rust and scale, it is pre-treated with an alkaline cleaner to remove oil and/or foreign materials. Once it is through the cleaning stage, the part is rinsed to remove any excess cleaner. An iron phosphate stage comes next and is used to etch the steel and apply a layer of crystals on the surface of the material. This is done to provide excellent adhesion. After the iron phosphate, the part is rinsed and dried. The pretreatment stage is an often neglected part of the coating process that some manufacturers think is unnecessary. However, to achieve optimal rust prevention and years of rust-free use it is absolutely necessary. |
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Zinc-Rich Primer Some Skid Row Offroad products, such as our bumpers and mirror brackets, are treated with a special primer to maximize product life. This primer is a zinc-rich epoxy coating that ensures a long lasting finish. The zinc prevents further rusting if the finish is scratched all the way down to the base material. |
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Top Coating Our parts are loaded onto a conveyor system and slowly pass through automatic spray guns that apply a mist of fine, electrically-charged, powder all over the product. Inside corners and other areas that are hard to reach are manually sprayed with powder for complete coverage. Powder that does not stick to the parts is recaptured by a powder re-collection system. The entire process of powder coating is environmentally friendly. |
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Oven Baking Once the parts are thoroughly and evenly covered with powder, they enter large, high-powered ovens to cure. The parts take approximately 15 minutes to pass through the ovens. With temperatures of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the powder is completely cured when the parts come through the other end. They are then allowed to air cool before being unloaded from the conveyor line to be packaged. |
| Here are some answers to questions we hear often.... |
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Q: What is Powder coating? A: Powder coating is an advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products that are used by both industries and consumers. The powder used for the process is a mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is sprayed onto a surface to be coated. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until heated and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality, and attractive finish. |
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Q: Is it Environmentally Friendly?? A: Powder coating is a much more environmentally friendly process than wet paint systems or plating. Industrial painting uses harmful solvents and sometimes even poisonous ingredients. Industrial chrome processes use heavy metals that find their way into water supplies. Powder coating uses neither harmful solvents or heavy metals even VOC emission problems are eliminated. |
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Q: Is Powder Coating Durable? A: Powder Coatings resist cracking and peeling and are extremely abrasion, corrosion and chemical resistant. The performance characteristics of powder coating match or exceed the characteristics achieved from conventional solvent-based coatings. |
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Q: Is Powder Coating better than liquid paint? A: Yes, powder coating is thicker 3-4 mils and paint is typically 1-2 mils. The thickness of the powder coating makes powder coating more resistant to scratches and nicks. Powder coating is versatile and can be used on springs without cracking the coating. You can't do that with paint! |
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Q: Why Powder Coat? A: Quality Powder coating is cost effective and superior to most liquid coatings for: Chip Resistance, Corrosion Resistance, Chemical Resistance, Abrasion Resistance, Impact Resistance, Ultraviolet Resistance, Adhesion, All Weather Durability |