FAQs

POWDER COATING FAQ'S

What is powder coating?
Is powder coating environmentally friendly?
Is all powder coating equal?
What colors are available?
What quality control procedures are used at DSI powder coating process?
What is the warranty on DSI's powder coating finish?
What processes are involved in powder coating a DSI product?
How is DSI's powder coating finish different than competitors powder coating finish?
What is AAMA 2604 and AAMA 2605?
What is PCI4000 A2 and A3?

What is powder coating?
Powder coating is the application of dry powder paint to a metal part for surface protection. In normal wet paint application the coating is suspended in a liquid carrier that evaporates into the atmosphere leaving the coating protecting the surface. A powder coated part is cleaned and the powder coating is electrostatically charged and sprayed onto the object to be coated. The object is then placed in an oven where the powder coating particles melt to form a continuous film.

Is powder coating environmentally friendly?
Yes, powder coating is a very environmentally friendly process. There is minimal waste water sent to the city waste stream. What is sent can be treated and released with no special process used at the waste water treatment facility. Liquid coatings emit VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) into the atmosphere during the cure process. For this reason, powder coating is embraced as the coating of choice for many manufacturing facilities in many industries.

Is all powder coating equal?
No, there are differences. There are many different types of powder coating created for many different types of projects. There are powder coating created for office furniture that do not require outdoor weatherability or chemical resistance. Other coatings are designed to be chemical resistant, while others provide some resistance to weathering for applications on lawn mowers, bicycles, and automobiles.

DSI uses a Customer Blended Premium Pigmented Super Durable Polyester TGIC powder coating to meet the AAMA 2604 specification and a Fluorocarbon Polymer powder coating to meet the AAMA 2605 specification. This coating is designed for superior corrosion resistance outdoors with limited fade and weathering as specified by AAMA specifications. This is a very big difference from regular TGIC powder coating.

What colors are available?
DSI can create any custom color imaginable for your project. Standard colors are shown below. All standard colors are Verified AAMA 2604 Compliant with the option to upgrade to a Verified AAMA 2605 Compliant powder coating finish.

Click on colors to enlarge view.
Colors shown are a close representation of the true color. Please consult actual samples for accurate powder coating colors.

              

              

         

What quality control procedures are used at DSI powder coating process?
DSI completes and logs 10 powder coating pretreatment checks twice per shift and also completes 10 hourly quality control checks are completed and logged on parts coming off the production line.

What is the warranty on DSI's powder coating finish?
The DSI warranty is an industry-leading lifetime limited warranty. Not only are the powder coating warranties covering cracking, peeling, flaking, and rusting for a lifetime, they also include a weathering warranty based on the AAMA 2604 specification. The AAMA 2604 specification states the product cannot fade more than 5 delta E color units and must retain 30% of its gloss after five years. Most brands will fade more than 5 delta E color units in less than 1 year. An optional Lifetime Limited Warranty is also offering AAMA 2605 weather specifications. AAMA 2605 specifications state the color cannot change more than 5 delta E color units in 10 years and needs to retain at least 50% of its gloss in 10 years.

What processes are involved in powder coating a DSI product?
DSI uses an 11-step powder coating process. Prior to powder coating, incoming aluminum is inspected for defects and white rust. Aluminum can never be subject to moisture prior to the powder coating pretreatment process.

Step 1: Fabricated product is inspected and fixtured on a moving overhead conveyor system that will carry the product through all the powder coating processes.

Step 2: Fabricated product is cleaned with an alkaline cleaner to remove all fabrication and manufacturing impurities. All pretreatment process is completed using a spray wash system utilizing nozzle placement for maximum impingement.

Step 3: Fabricated parts are cleaned with a (clean) city water rinse.

Step 4: Fabricated parts are cleaned with a (cleaner) recalculating reverse osmosis water rinse.

Step 5: Fabricated parts are cleaned with a (cleanest) fresh reverse osmosis rinse.

Step 6: Fabricated parts are pretreated with a titanium and zirconium conversion coating with a fluoride additive.

Step 7: Fabricated parts are again rinsed with a (cleanest) fresh reverse osmosis water rinse.

Step 8: An air-knife creates a 200 MPH blast of air to remove all water drops.

Step 9: The dry-off oven evaporates any moisture the air-knife did not remove.

Step 10: Powder is applied with 10 automatic guns by adding an electrostatic charge to the powder particles attracting the powder particles to the product to be coated.

Step 11: The cure oven gels and then cross-links and cures the powder with zero VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) found in liquid coating processes. Parts are not touched by human hands after the parts are fixtured on the overhead conveyor system.

How is DSI's powder coating finish different than competitors powder coating finish?
Most competitors are using a general purpose Super Durable or Standard Polyester TGIC powder coating. DSI uses a Custom Blended Premium Pigmented Super Durable Polyester TGIC powder coating. DSI also provides third party test results documenting our processes are Verified AAMA 2604 and AAMA 2605 Compliant. This needs to be completed every 18 months. Every 12 months, the Powder Coating Institute audits the powder coating process based on the PCI4000 A2 and A3 164-point criteria. Most competitors rely on their powder coating suppliers to provide testing documentation instead of an independent third party lab approved by AAMA. Competitors may only complete this testing once every 5-10 years.

What is AAMA 2604 and AAMA 2605?

AAMA (American Architectural Manufacturing Association) creates specification for the window, door, skylight, and outdoor architectural products market. AAMA 2603, AAMA 2604, and AAMA 2605 are architectural coating specifications.

AAMA 2603 is the least difficult to attain but more stringent than general purpose powder coatings used on products like bicycles, lawn mowers, and most of DSI's competitors. The AAMA 2605 specification is very difficult to meet and requires coating and processes that add to the applied cost of coatings meeting this specification.

A third party test labratory approved by AAMA requires testing every 18 months to be listed as a verified compliant applicator on the AAMA website. There are 10 tests to pass the AAMA 2603 test. There are 15 tests, including a 3000 hour salt/fog test, and maximum 5 delta E color change in 5 years to meet the AAMA 2604 specification. The AAMA 2605 specification also requires 15 test procedures including 4000 hours of salt/fog testing and maximum 5 delta E color units change in 10 years.

What is PCI4000 A2 and A3?

PCI (Powder Coating Institute) has created the PCI4000 certifications program. Powder coating application systems are audited and scored using a 164-point criteria. A minimum score of 725 is required to receive this certification. DSI scored a 918 on the first audit and was Certified PCI4000 A2 (AAMA 2604) and A3 (AAMA 2605). This certification is recognized on the PCI website. DSI is listed as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).