Powder Coating begins with us receiving the product from our customers, firstly we must judge what pre-treatment needs to be done.
Here at Garie Bevan Coatings we have several pre-treatment methods:

• Degreasing - The process of removing grease and oils from metal which was applied during the construction process
• 'T-Washing' - A pre-treatment for galvanised steel to ensure the subsequent adhesion of powder
• 'Etching' - A layer of acid eats into metal and creates a rough area which is more ideal to coat on
• 'Tak Ragging' - The removal of small dust particles from the metal
• De-Gassing - A method used to drive out gas trapped within galvanised steel (alternatively we have powders which do not allow gassing to occur)
• Sand Blasting - If a product we receive has paint, rust or any other coating which prevents us from producing a perfect finish then sometimes blasting is used

If any of these steps are required and not followed then the finish that is achieved is not always up to standard.

Once the pre-treatment is completed then coating can begin.

Powder Coating occurs by electro-statically charging powder (this is part of the fluidising process where the particles are also individually separated) and then via a controlled air stream applied to metal, this metal being earthed. The electrostatic charge means the powder not only sticks to the metal but also wraps itself around the back of metal so a full coat is always achieved.

When coating is complete the product is then transfered to an oven where it is baked at 220C. This heat means that curing occurs, a process where a chemical cross-linked reaction occurs, this reaction is what gives powder coating many of its desirable properties. What you get is a perfect finish, no drips or marks like you get with wet paint and the strength of the coating creates a great durability.

Finally quality control and packing finishes the job. Every job is thoroughly checked and the thickness of the coating can be checked with a micron counter, once it has passed quality control then packing is started. Every product is either wrapped with a special cling-film or bubble-wrapped to make sure scratching does not occur, from there products can either be palletised or transported lose.