How Powder Coaters Can Improve Their Masking Operations in 2024

• Rusty Red Masking Tape: If you’re running into issues with green poly baking onto the surface, the first option you may want to test out is rusty red poly tape, as it is rated slightly higher than green poly tape
• Glass Cloth Tape: For extreme temperatures and/or thicker coatings, we recommend trying out glass cloth tape as it is thicker and can withstand much higher temperatures than green poly.

• Conductive Silicone: One area to look into is if there is a way of combining your hanging and masking into one. There are a few methods of doing this. The most popular method is by using conductive silicone. This is a high-temperature silicone with carbon black added into it, allowing the conductive charge to run through it to the part you’re painting
• Red Ironoxide Silicone: If you’re running into issues with paint flaking off of your masking caps or plugs, you may want to look into red ironoxide silicone.
• Low-Shrink Silicone: If you’re having issues with silicone sleeves shrinking (common when masking bores and bushings), then you’ll want to look into switching to low-shrink silicone.

Every powder coating line is unique, and one-size-fits-all solutions might not be the most effective. Consider custom masking solutions to match the specific requirements of your components. Tailored masking solutions designed to fit your products perfectly, ensuring optimal protection during the coating process will not only save you time and money but also result in much more consistent finishes.

Custom solutions are also an excellent way of finding out how to prevent issues you might currently be dealing with, such as powder build-up, shadowing, plugs blowing out, etc. This is also a great time to look back into benchmarking your masking operations to get a better understanding of just how much time and labor custom solutions could save you.

If you’re using masking right now, but getting inconsistent results, it’s time to start paying attention to the design and precision of your masking components. Opt for intricate and precise masking designs to ensure complete coverage and protection of specific areas. Echo Engineering's expertise in masking engineering can help you create custom designs that cater to the unique contours and shapes of your products, resulting in superior masking performance.

Use this time to understand your reject rate, time spent correcting mistakes (such as having to retap threads), and labor related expenses (such as time spent installing and removing an inefficient mask).

Knowledge is power, and well-trained staff can make a significant difference in the success of your powder coating operations. Invest in training programs and documentation to educate your team on the latest masking techniques, materials, and technologies.

You don’t need to invest in an expensive production team to do this. This can be as easy as recording training with your phone and uploading it to a shared computer drive. Or writing up a process along with photos in a Word document.