There are plenty of opportunities to reduce costs and improve the quality of pretreatment. Technologies such as bioremediation and new dried-in-place processes are prolonging bath life and simplifying chemical and equipment usage.
Many automated coating lines use multistage washers with several interrelated spray or immersion stages to prepare a metal surface prior to the application of a paint or powder coating. These spray washers consume water, chemicals, gas and electricity. Good maintenance can help to minimize the most obvious costs and keep the machine running properly. Beyond good chemical and mechanical maintenance, several new and unique enhancements and process methods are available that can improve quality and reduce costs.
High-quality, high-performance coating systems, such as powder coating and high-solids liquid paint, have been used for many years to increase the commercial or consumer value of various metal components. To obtain the highest value from these coating systems, a high-quality pretreatment system must be used. For metallic surfaces, the most common pretreatment method is a spray washer.