Painting – Ultimate Metal Finishing Technique
Industrial metal painting is a metal finishing technique applied to fabricated metal products, parts, or components in structural steel fabrication. It is a popular metal coating technique that offers both a functional and aesthetic value to fabricated metal products. Without proper finishing, there are some metals that will begin to tarnish and corrode due to exposure to rain, moisture, marine salts, or ultraviolet light or degrade from the routine effects of corrosive chemicals and agents found in selective industrial and manufacturing environments. While there are other finishing techniques like powder coating or galvanizing, industrial metal painting provides a distinct finishing touch by protecting metal surfaces to ensure durability. This blog will deep dive into this fascinating topic.
The Painting Process
As a finishing technique, painting adds protective layers to the surfaces of metal parts. Traditional painting applications utilize wet painting and powder coating methods that involve spraying or coating paints or pigments on metal parts. Before the paint is applied, metal surface areas are prepped and cleaned according to the condition of the substrate and the type of coating to be applied. The latter needs to be specified as it relates to each type of metal. Electrostatic paint guns are commonly employed by fabricators to spray electrically charged paint particles onto conductive metal surfaces. The result produces a uniform coat that can stand up to the toughest environments. Dry coating finishes utilize similar electrostatic processes but with specially designed powder coating guns.
Commonly Painted Metals
Metal painting services and procedures vary depending on the type of metal that requires a coating. However, the most common industrial metals painted are aluminum and carbon steel. In regards to the former, though aluminum does not often require coating due to its good corrosion-resistant properties, in certain environments coatings are needed to provide added protection to the surface. Painting aluminum is also an option to enhance the material’s aesthetic appeal. As an alternative service to painting, aluminum can also be treated with a chemical conversion process via chemical film passivation that adds further corrosion protection to parts and components (e.g., corrosion of pipes). On the other hand, carbon steel is an industrial metal that requires painting. Of the many favorable properties that make carbon steel prized by fabricators, the one property it does not hold is corrosion resistance. In general, any exposed exterior applications of carbon steel must be protected from corrosion by painting or some other method of coating. Such protective coating inhibits rust and any other chemical reactions in the surrounding environment that could result in corroding the material.
Industries Using Metal Painting
As fabricated metal parts, components, and products are integral to industrial manufacturing worldwide, metal painting services are employed in nearly every industrial sector. Metal paint is required for building and construction, automotive and aerospace, agriculture, mining, all related marine industries, utilities, and energy—any instance where conditions warrant protective coating of metal materials and corrosion resistance is critical. This would include any types of steel structures, agricultural and construction machinery, bridges, pressure vessels, wind turbines, any seafaring vessel, industrial springs, cisterns, handrails, wastewater treatment plants, cranes and conveyors, and immersed metal structures.
Conclusion
It can thus be observed that industrial metal painting provides a hard, durable finish that protects metal surfaces from adverse chemical reactions, physical contact, and exposure. Also, with the exception of certain stainless-steel applications in architecture and design, painting metal visually improves the finished appearance of metal products, offering a smooth and uniform appearance. So, it is time manufacturers and fabricators paint the town red – or, in this case, their finished products!