At Paddock Fencing Ltd we use an Electrostatic paint sprayer to coat the majority our products. This article explains why we do what we do, and shows the process in action.
Why?
Spraying with a electrostatic system has many benefits. The main benefit is that it hugely reduces paint wastage, and it provides a very even paint coverage.
Because the paint particles are being attracted to the steel there is much less paint going past the steel and missing the product. It is also very useful when getting into the hard to reach areas because the paint is being attracted to the steel product, it even wraps around the rear of the item you are spraying. You can spray the front and the back will get a coating also, this ensures all of our products are completely coated and no areas a missed. (See below video)
How does it work?
The spray gun is charged positively and this causes the paint which comes out of the tip to be charged positively. The products which we are spraying are charged negatively (grounded), so in turn this attracts the paint to the metal.
Which Paint?
The majority of our products are finished with a Vinyl paint. Vinyl paint unlike other general paint has a slight elasticity to it. This means when the metal expands and contracts in the summer and winter, the paint tends to move with the metal as appose to general paints which may crack. It works excellently on outdoor steel products.
It also has many other excellent benefits.
- Good water and chemical resistance
- Excellent adhesion direct to steel or straight onto etch galvanising.
We aim to coat our products with at least a 100 Micron dry film thickness, which ensures the products will last for many years to come.
Why we paint inside and before installation!
The majority of our products are sprayed in our state of the art paint booth. This ensures all paint fumes are extracted safely and excess paint is taken into a filter. Spraying our products in a booth ensures all products are sufficiently dry and at the correct temperature for the best paint adhesion. We can also control the temperature and moisture levels during the drying or curing process which ensures an excellent finish.
The majority of our competitors in the UK paint there products on site (something we don’t do). This has many disadvantages:
- When painting on site, you cant guarantee the weather will remain dry for 2 weeks, which is the time the majority of paints need to fully dry (cure).
- Many use paint gloves or brushes which creates a very uneven paint film, some areas may have to much paint and others may not have enough.
- Steel may become dirty or covered in mud on installation, this prevents paint from adhering to the steel correctly.
Paddock Fencing Ltd also offers a Galvanising finish on request. As well as a full range or Ral Colours.
For more information on our finishes please send us an email.