Coating life is decided by pretreatment, not by paint. The Color Center spray line runs six stages on a single line, from degreasing to the drying oven, preparing the surface with a nano conversion coating.

Oil, dust or oxide left on the surface prevents powder from bonding, however well it is applied. That is why the first half of the line is not painting work but cleaning and conversion.

Our line starts with alkaline degreasing, passes through two rinse stages, leaves a thin conversion layer on the surface in the nano coating bath, and finishes in the drying oven. Nano technology produces less waste than classic phosphate processes and gives a thinner, more homogeneous layer.

The six stages

What each stage does, and what happens if it is skipped:

Degreasing (alkaline)

Oil and grease left by machining, cutting and handling are dissolved in an alkaline bath. Skip this and every following stage works on a dirty surface.

Rinse

Reduces the chemical carry-over from the alkaline bath. Residual alkali would upset the chemistry of the nano coating bath.

Outer rinse 1

The second rinse lowers conductivity further and prepares the surface for the conversion layer.

Nano conversion coating

A thin conversion layer is left on the surface. It raises corrosion resistance and forms the surface the powder bonds to chemically. It gives a thinner layer and less waste than classic phosphate processes.