[double_0_xx]

Was looking into low temp powdercoating for the fairings.. Seems like an awesome idea.

Some articles state lower temp PC is available, but not much around.

So the question is, do you think our plastics could take 400 deg for 20 min? Most likely not..

Another question is, has anyone ever heard of PC motorcycle plastics?

 

[roadkill]

I think that if you tried to heat your plastic up to 400, your plastic would end up like to clocks in the attachment...

roadkill

 

[double_0_xx]

Yeah thats what I thought.. They do have some lower temp UV PC.. I think it is in the 250 range

 

[Sid]

double 0 xx,
Thought you might be interested in this article I copied from a website on the internet. There are some new developments in powder coatings where-by they use ultraviolet to cure the material. Just look up low temperature powder coatings. The site I viewed is http://www.pfonline.com/articles/029704.html. I'm glad you brought this up otherwise I would never have guessed they were working on that technology.
This is the article I viewed:
Low-Temperature-Cure Powder Coatings. Plastics are used more often in manufactured goods because they are lightweight and corrosion resistant. However, plastics distort at high temperatures and, therefore, are not powder coated often.
UV curable powders, such as those developed by Herberts/O'Brien, can be applied to plastic or metal substrates in the same manner as traditional powder coatings. After application, the powder is melted and allowed to flow out. Stoving with infrared may help; however cure speed is influenced by the number and type of UV lamps used. Formulations for UV curable powder coatings are similar to current thermally cured powders. The main difference is a photoinitiator UV powder that is comparable to a catalyst in thermal cure powders. It is only activated when exposed to UV light.
Sid

 

[Superswire]

Thats pretty neat, i wonder if it's UV activated, how would it hold up to the sunlight ????

 

[Sid]

Superswire,
Great question! I hope you don't mind, but I've gone to the company's website and submitted some questions. I may not have covered all the items that might be of interest to all members of this forum but I just wanted to see if these "folks" have possibly thought of making this process available to those in the sport industry both commercially and the home types like us.

Questions Submitted:
I have been reading, with great interest, as many articles as I can get, on your low temperature curing powder coatings. I have generated several questions that I hope you might address. They are as follows:
1-With an ultraviolet curing process, if used on items in an outdoor environment (ultraviolet rich) what is the longevity expectation?
2-How will it change over time? I am looking toward a usage with refinishing, if you will, plastic 4X4 and other parts and pieces.
3-If available, do you have a facility to handle this material? Where is it?
4- What colors are available?
5-How is the cost determined and what might they be?
6-After receiving the answers to the questions I've posed, may I distribute your information to members of the ATV Forum I belong to?
Very Respectfully,

 

[double_0_xx]

I have read the same articles regarding UV light. One company local to my area is eastwood. If you are not aware they offer low cost PC for the home user. I sent a message to them as well, but plan on stopping by or calling to discuss UV PC.

From what I can tell the low temp UV curable PC is very durable so it would be good for our applications.

The overall cost for the IR/UV lights is where we would get dinged... the PC gun is only $100 but the light was approx $400.

on the other hand I found a small uv curing light.. I wonder if we went slow enough if this would work.
http://www.esslinger.com/ultravioletlamp.aspx

Anyone local want to try it out? mini project then resell on ebay, or start PC for others (if it works)? I am located just outside philadelphia closer to King of Prussia, and have a 2 car garage just begging to be wrenched in.

 

[Sid]

double 0 xx,
Great information. I wonder what frequency (wavelength) is used for the ultraviolet light (UV). Some are really dangerous to the eyes. Special glasses are necessary. The UV tubes for the light fixtures are expensive. I am thinking some of the information may not be available (proprietary).
Thanks again,
Sid

 

[double_0_xx]

I think once we find a particular powder we can read the specs necessary to cure.

One site said you heat the material to 175 F then apply and cure with the UV light. Most use IR lights plus convection to heat for the initial heating, but for me... Can go with a homemade oven.. maybe out of sheet metal and some type of heating agent.. The IR lights at eastwood were around $400

As far as the UV light, I have a welders mask for caution, plus you can get the goggles easy at lowes or depot.

I think we could try with the front grill 1st. Or we could go with some old beat up plastics from another quad. I do have the ds 650 fronts but they seemed a bit easy to melt.. I used my heat gun to remove some stickers and it I was able to scrape plastic, but those guns can get crazy hot.

So on the cheap, the PC gun is around $100, the PC is $20 and the light is TBD.