Racking Up Efficiency

Effectively using hanging racks is one of the most important tasks associated with coating a product. Yet often it is overlooked due to the consideration needed for maximizing the quantity in the working window, presenting parts to the coating equipment so they receive uniform coverage, and making efficient use of the available floor space. At first glance, these principles may seem intuitive, but in practice many of these considerations are overlooked and can cause low quality products. At Pinnacle Powder Coating, our team has implemented quality assurance procedures that assist in racking up efficiency.

Typically smaller, large-volume products are placed on a multitiered rack with densely spaced product hooks. Long or thin parts with lengths that vary or that are longer than the vertical drop on the conveyor usually are handled by horizontal rack designs. For large, heavy products, we might use a single hook or even lifting chains. Nothing in hanging works like experience, but the “one-size fits all” approach is rarely employed by Pinnacle.

Part presentation is a critical step to coating quality and product racking. To minimize the effects of Faraday cage and robbing, parts are hung in a way that ensures the most efficient coating coverage possible Faraday cage is the condition that inhibits the electrostatic attraction of powder particles on a substrate in a localized area due to the part’s geometric configuration. Robbing occurs if parts are hung too close to each other or too close to a hanger frame. Typically by hanging products so that cleaning or washing fluid is drained back into the recovery tanks, excess coating material is also drained and the finish quality is improved.