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Powder Coating

Powder Coating with Salamander

Sheet metal fabrication projects are popular when our customers need a long-lasting, strong and durable structure. Sheet metal fabrications are naturally very hard-wearing and are made to last. Fabrications made of steel or other metals susceptible to rust and corrosion can have their life shortened by being exposed to adverse weather conditions or wet environments. In cases like this, powder coating can be an incredibly important step in the overall sheet metal fabrication process. Even for non-corrosive metals, powder coating provides a hard-wearing finish that means the end product is water-resistant and not susceptible to damage from chemicals and UV light.

bright coloured powder

Facts About Our Powder Coating

  • We offer a wide variety of colours and finishes, to meet any aesthetic considerations
  • We always have a wide variety of paints, finishes and colours in stock - with colours available in RAL, Pantone and other colour systems
  • We utilise GEMA equipment for our powder coating service
  • Powder coating can be carried out manually or using a reciprocating gun/automatic reciprocating gun, depending on the needs of each project
  • We can utilise a protective 2-coat system with primer and finishing for certain industries
orange powder

Our Powder Coating Capabilities

At Salamander Fabrications, we’re always passionate about investing in the best technology for our customers. We have the facilities available to accommodate parts up to 3000mm long, 1000mm wide and 1400mm deep within our powder-coating process.

Our skilled painters are able to provide perfect finishes by hand on the more complex parts of certain projects, as well as use an automated reciprocating system for larger batch sizes. We stock a wide range of RAL and Pantone colours and finishes, including satin, gloss, matte, polyester, leatherette and texture. Plus, special colours can be ordered to suit your requirements, if required!

blue powder coating

Working with Salamander Fabrications

At Salamander, we’ve been working with all kinds of sheet metal fabrication technologies since 1968. We offer our services to companies all over the UK, and work with a huge range of sectors to provide them with quality products, quickly, efficiently and with excellent customer service every step of the way. Our team is fully UK-based, and we work with a range of trusted, expert partner organisations which allows us to offer a complete range of services and complete your project from start to finish.

Every fabrication we work on comes from our full-service capacity home in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, where our expert team are always looking to grow and develop their skills, to continue offering the best service we can to our customers.

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What is the Process of Powder Coating?

Powder coating is a dry coating procedure that covers many of the projects we carry out here at Salamander Fabrications. An electrostatic charge is used to apply the powder to the metal surface as a dry powder, which is then cured using heat to result in a hard-wearing finish.

This can create a very aesthetically pleasing end product. Salamander stocks a huge variety of different colours and finishes as standard and we can also source speciality colours if required.

Before powder coating can be carried out the surface of the material needs to be thoroughly cleaned. Throughout the sheet metal fabrication process, grease, oil, dirt and other materials can build up on the metal surface, so we’ll use a mixture of physical and chemical methods to clean the metal and create the optimum surface for the powder-coated finish to adhere to. At Salamander, we use a three-stage degrease chemical wash, which cleans the metals and prepares the surface for the powder to be applied. By pretreating the metal, we can also improve the overall performance of the powder coating, including its durability and resistance to corrosion.

In most powder coating systems, there is a feeder unit which delivers the powder to an electrostatic gun, and also controls the flow of powder to the gun, which then emits the powder in a diffused cloud. At the same time, the metal is connected to a power unit which charges the metal components with a low-amperage charge. The powder particles are then attracted to the charged particles emitted by the metal structure, so they attach to the metal’s surface.

Once the powder is attached to the surface of the metal structure, the coating needs to be cured, which allows the powder to melt slightly and bond with itself, which forms a protective skin and helps to ensure the coating adheres properly to the metal. Generally, curing takes place in a specialist oven for 20-30 minutes at 200°C, though this can vary depending on the kind of powder coating used and the size of the structure being coated.

The Advantages of Powder Coating Your Sheet Metal Fabrication

Powder coating is a very flexible finishing method, particularly when compared to traditional paint, for example. While traditional paint offers a wide range of colours, tones and finishes, it doesn’t offer any of the same protective qualities as powder coating, which can be used to make your products water, heat, light and weather-resistant.

Powder coating has a range of applications and advantages over other coating methods:

  • Powder coated surfaces are highly durable.
  • Powder coating can be used on a range of materials including sheet metal and steel.
  • Powder coating is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications due to its longevity.
  • Powder coating is incredibly cost-effective, particularly when compared to other methods with similar protective properties.
  • Powder coating doesn’t release any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, and is free of any harmful chemicals, making it a great environmentally-friendly choice.
  • Powder coating is available in a huge range of different finishes, depending on the needs of the project.
  • The powder coating process is quicker than many other traditional paints or solvent-based coatings, which means that lead times and turnaround on our projects is also reduced.
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Contact Us Today

To find out more about Salamander Fabrications and the work we do or to see how we can help with your next project, please contact sales@salamanderfabs.com or call to speak to a member of our Sales Team on 01484 843599, and we’ll be happy to help.

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Do you need to talk to us about an upcoming project? Or would you just like to find out more about us and what we do? Fill in the form below and one of team members will get back to you.

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