E-Coating Process - Advantages of Electrocoating
Customers today demand higher quality and durability from the products they buy. Not only do they expect these products to perform well; they want finishes to look good and resist corrosion for longer periods of time.
What is Electrocoating?
E-coating, also known as electrodeposition coating, is a method of painting that uses electrical current to deposit paint on a surface. The process works according to the principle that “opposites attract.”
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Advantages of the Electropainting Process
Immersion process: All of the surfaces in contact with the solution are coated. This means that even the most complicated shapes can be completely coated. Parts can be more densely packed on the rack to increase production rate.
Electrical deposition method: The application of electricity causes the resins and other ingredients to deposit onto the parts’ surface. Controlling the electrical current enables a predictable and consistent thickness of coating to be applied. This is essential if “tinted” coatings are required – for example “brass” or “gold” colors over bright nickel or zamak. Consistent color effect demands consistent thickness.
Water based process: There are no flammability problems during application. Also, there is no need to dry parts after water-based cleaning or pretreatment processes. Using Ultrafiltration technology, rinse water can be extracted from the bath itself and used to recycle nearly 100% of drag-out back into the bath. This maximizes material usage and minimizes costs.
Comparing E-coating with powder coating
Powder Coat
- Overspray difficult to reclaim
- Rack or support is coated
- Very wide thickness distribution
- Parts must be dry
E-coat
- No overspray problem
- Insulated racks are not coated
- Controlled, consistent thickness
- Parts can be dry or wet