Design guidelines for powder coating sheet metal parts.
Here you'll find important specifications for designing and preparing sheet metal parts for powder coating.
1. Colour selection for powder coatings
Over 200 RAL colours are available at Blexon for powder coating. Your colour is surely among them. To make searching and finding the right colour easier, we programmed a search function.
Please note that the colour representation is not exact and therefore non-binding. Colour reproduction depends on the screen, the ambient light and technical parameters. We recommend choosing the colour based on the RAL number or a colour palette.
2. One-sided or double-sided powder coating
We can powder-coat sheet metal parts on both sides or only one side. Here you simply select the corresponding option.
If you have sheet metal constructions powder-coated on one side only, you should note that on the uncoated side an overspray forms. The uncoated side is not masked by our manufacturing partners.
Which side of the sheet is powder-coated depends on whether you select the visible or the back side. You recognize the visible side by the blue colour in the preview image or in the CAD viewer.
3. Coating thickness, threads and countersinks
With powder coating, a coating thickness of 0.1 mm is generally to be expected. You should therefore design cut-outs and holes correspondingly larger so as not to have problems later with passing screws or similar through.
You can design threads normally. These are masked before powder coating so as not to clog the thread flanks.
You can also design countersinks normally. These are coated, but the coating thickness is compensated for during production.
4. Surface texture and finish options
There are two further options for powder coating your sheet metal parts: the texture, i.e. whether the surface should be smooth, fine or coarse, and the finish, which determines whether the parts are delivered glossy or matte. Not all combinations are available. For example, sheet metal parts with a coarse texture can only be produced glossy. Matte is unfortunately not possible. Our online ordering tool automatically corrects combinations that are not available.
5. Areas of use: outdoor and indoor application
We deliver all powder-coated sheet metal parts in so-called industrial quality. The coatings are UV-resistant. For outdoor applications or places with high humidity, the primer coat option should be selected for steel parts. In extreme weather conditions and in environments with high humidity and high salt content in the air, a primer coat is also recommended for aluminium parts.
If you are not sure whether the quality is suitable for your application, please get Contact in touch with us. We are happy to help you without obligation.
6. Primer coat for powder-coated steel and aluminium
Please note: a pure powder coating provides no corrosion protection at all for steel parts and no complete corrosion protection for aluminium.
For steel parts outdoors or in damp environments, we therefore recommend an additional primer coat. This offers increased corrosion protection and significantly extends the service life of the sheet metal parts.
For aluminium parts a primer coat is recommended especially under increased environmental stress, such as very high humidity or salty air.
You can select the primer coat when choosing the powder coating at the following point:
If you are not sure whether the selected version is suitable for your application, please contact our Helpdesk. We are happy to advise you without obligation.
7. Why can't I select powder coating for my sheet metal part?
For powder coating, the sheet metal parts are suspended on wires. This requires a cut-out, a hole, a thread or a countersink of at least 4 mm diameter.
If your sheet metal part does not contain a suitable cut-out, the Blexon algorithm detects this and disables the option. Coating without suspension may be possible, but usually involves higher costs. We cannot calculate these additional costs automatically. If at all possible, you should provide a suitable hole for suspension in your CAD model. If that is not possible, please get Contact in touch with us.
