| | December 20208CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONCOATING METAL PARTS THE NEXT STEPBy Stephen Kocka, Director General Metal Finishing, Atotech GroupAs the industrial world continues to evolve, the need for different coatings of metal surface changes as well. The challenges raised by the final owner of a given part continue to become more complex. Any number of matters need to be considered when choosing the appropriate finishing applicator.Just like a metal fabricating and metalworking facility, there are many different levels of applicators in the world of the coating. Choosing the correct finisher is an important and often overlooked step in the final phase of manufacturing.Let's begin by reviewing some of the key issues:· Consider logistics. In some instances, the location of the finisher is critical, as freight influences the final cost of the finished good. Some applicators have their fleet of trucks.· Are you looking for organic finishes (paint)? If so, selecting a finisher that meets your quality requirements, as well as the specification of the final OEM, is a consideration. The size of the parts to be processed is often a limiting factor. In other words, is the paint booth/tank/e-coat tank able to accommodate your part size.· Perhaps you are looking for inorganic finishes. The same considerations should be reviewed, as noted above, for organic finishes. Some OEMs specify very specific process chemistry, and not all applicators will have those finishes or chemistries available.· In today's world, often, one coating layer is not enough to meet the decorative or corrosion criteria of the end-user. This is where things become more complicated. Looking for an applicator that can provide both organic and inorganic finishes is a key element in this arena.
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