Pitching A Bitch - Powder Coating Failures On Products....

Yes it is. But what is the alternative? Go out of business? That would be sad too.

 

If you are willing to pay a premium, it’s pretty easy to get high quality powder coat. I’m a fan of powder coat but it costs a lot of money for the good stuff.

 

For me paint is a far better product. Maybe not as smooth or hard as powder coating but it doesn’t flake off the way powder coat does. When paint is damaged the damage is limited to that one spot. Once powder coat is compromised the whole section is affected.

 

I bought a powder coated tail gate cap. It arrived rusting and bubbling. After some back and forth, I decided that I would fix the problem myself because I like the cap design but not the execution of the design. I took it to Line-X, they dipped it and encapsulated it. I have had it for quite a while, it has taken some punishment and still looks good and has held up perfectly. Fifty dollars, I am not especially happy about the additional cost but I am happy with the results.

 

Yes, that would be equally sad. It's a delicate balance and there's no easy answer. Maybe manufacturers could offer as an option a higher quality PCing as well as a budget option. I don't know how that would fly from a marketing perspective.....

I always got some dirty looks when there was a questionable choice in regards to prepping for PCing when I said "Are we manufacturing a industry leading product or are we slapping together some HF products." It never went over well because I struck a nerve.... (No disrespect to HF intended.)

 

Yup. It's also a bit different when your customer is a multi-billion dollar company/institution (probably using some tax dollars to pay for there goal posts) with little market competition. Versus selling to an average customer and competing against other companies willing to undercut each other at every step.

 

Taking a step backwards, another problem associated with product finishing lies in the lap of the actual worker themselves. Pride in workmanship sometimes is lacking. Regarding a Hi-Lift accessory (not a Hi-Lift brand product) I purchased some years ago, it arrived with weld spatter and the welds were all undercut. I contacted the company and ultimately communicated with the owner/president. He was very cordial but did offer up an excuse that his welders were welding 200 of these products a day and they tend or can slack off in their attention to detail. Coming from a production background I understand this but that doesn't absolve the worker who then prepped it for PC and the painter. I told him that a product like that would never make it out the door here. I understand that sometimes things slip through the cracks and everyone is human. He offered to replace the product but I declined his offer. I took care of the issues that bugged me myself.

 

Very true. But then again, the stakes are much higher. Some years ago we had an onsite powder coating failure due to a poor decision during the powder coating process. The cost to resolve the issue was in excess of $10k. Ouch, and it all was preventable if the proper procedures were adhered to. Cutting corners can bite you in the ass big time...

 

The fabrication process can have an effect on how well paint adheres. With the laser equipment now used in the fabrication of most parts made from sheet steel, if the wrong gas is used in the process, it will leave a thin slag where ever the laser cut through the steel. If not removed from the edge by some type of metal finishing before painting it can be very easily chipped leaving the steel exposed to the elements. Again, it was in our specs which gas to use.

 

And then there are artists like this young woman in Tenn. (?) that takes powder coating to another level....

 

Another very good point!

 

Every time ive ever ordered powder coated items online they show up with chips. Its a bummer dude

 

When I started my welding career the one thing I was taught was workmanship. Workmanship didn't have to be or should not be put on the drawing. it was expected of you and if you didn't change your attitude you were out looking for work. I went from a welder and retired as a quality technician and boy have times changed. When we outsourced our entire fabrication and paint departments and I rejected something for what I called workmanship suppliers became very upset. There excuse was it didn't state it on the drawing and our supplier quality improvement engineers didn't have the backbone to back us up. I became very creative in my rejects. You see nearly all our SQI, (supplier quality improvement engineers), were young or H1b visas. Book smart, practical knowledge and experience lacking. Most didn't even know how to use inspection tools let alone what they were called. Can you imagine having a supplier quality improvement engineer come down to your inspection department and ask you what is the name of that tool you're using to measure my parts with? It happened. It is what it is. Even one of our quality managers had to ask, pointing to the surface plate, what's that?

 

I thought it was just me. I've been modding my trucks and land cruisers for over 30 years and it seems as if all the powder coated parts I have ever used, have failed. I thought it was just me 'cause all I hear is how great powder-coating is and it never peels or rusts. What a load of crap!

 

Is that something you think they teach in engineering school? It's not, so it doesn't surprise me that green engineers might not know what they are. We don't know everything just cause we got a degree in engineering. I bet you didn't know what a lot of it was at some point in your life too.

 

At one time in my life, I had an '87 Ranger with a factory painted front bumper. Had it for 17 years and drove it to the scrap yard. The OEM factory paint bumper lasted many years but, eventually it began to rust. Powder coating was beginning to be very popular so I took it off, had it blasted, and then powder coated. It didn't even make it through one Minnesota winter and the paint peeled off and was all rusted up. It looked worst than it did before I had it recoated. I knew the painter and it didn't get a any cleaning process or zinc primer. Because I got it painted at no cost I just drove the truck this way until I junked it. Lessoned learned. One step powder coating just doesn't stand up. And it's one good reason I choose to not add aftermarket components, especially a powder-coated front bumper made of mild steel.

 

Yes, you a right. I grew up working on cars, motorcycles, and other mechanical things, sometimes making things myself. With a welder still in my garage, I still do some welding repair and fabricating. Sometimes even getting a little creative. Made from '87 Ford Ranger 2.9l spark plugs, all hand made and formed. My very first one ever made was a project in my high school metal shop class where I learned to weld. Granted, it didn't look like either of these but, it was worthy of a grade.

 

Those are very cool.

Engineers don't go to school to become mechanically inclined. They don't learn how to rebuild an engine, but they learn to analysis the Otto cycle to calculate the thermal efficiency of an engine. They don't learn how to weld, but they learn how to calculate the size material needed to carry a certain load. In truth, the main thing we learn is to take an analytical and methodical approach to design. We don't learn to turn a wrench, or weld, or run a press brake, or operate inspection equipment. Most engineers learn those kinds of skills as a by product of whatever field they get into.

 

lol every time I've had something power coated it peeled like plastidip, pretty embarrassing. found It to be more cost effective to just paint things with automotive paint, holds better and looks way better.

 

I know you're right because one of my quality engineers I worked with who retired years before I did said his daughter graduated with an engineering degree and he said in order for her to understand basic engineering drawings she had to take an added/extra class in drawing reading/understanding. It isn't a requirement for engineers to understand engineering drawings but, it is a requirement if you are a floor support quality tech trying to figure out why something won't fit together. And since he was paying for her schooling she had too.