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Outgassing

Outgassing: A Practical Guide for Powder Coaters

Michael Schuerer

President, Reliant Finishing Systems

This guide is intended for powder coaters, finishing department managers, and powder coating shop owners and managers. It addresses outgassing in a practical way and explains pragmatic methods to deal with it and the finish defects it can cause. It relies on the technical expertise and field experience of coating equipment specialists like Reliant Finishing Systems, as well as other coating experts, pretreatment chemical providers, and leading powder suppliers. 

Unfortunately, there are a number of online resources created using AI that provide contradictory information or suggest approaches that are not practical for a working shop. Use caution when considering online guides, especially those that appear to have been created almost entirely using AI.

What is outgassing and why is it a finishing problem?

Outgassing-related finish defects are one of the most persistent appearance problems encountered when powder coating cast parts, galvanized steel parts, assemblies that include cast aluminum or zinc components, and some welded steel parts. Air, moisture, casting lubricants, trapped pretreatment solution, or other volatile material can escape from pores or tiny gaps in the substrate during the powder curing process and pass through the molten powder film. If the film has already started to gel, the escaping gas can leave pinholes, bubbles, craters, or even large blisters. 

This differs from ordinary surface contamination, although inadequate cleaning during chemical pretreatment may produce nearly identical defects. Although other metal parts can exhibit finish defects from outgassing, castings are particularly vulnerable because porosity can extend from the interior of the part to the surface, where it can retain air and process-related contaminants. 

A practical diagnostic guide for determining if outgassing is the root cause of a finish defect

In busy powder coating operations, many defects blamed on outgassing are actually due to either a) contamination that hasn’t been fully removed by cleaning or b) trapped-liquid release linked to poor drainage/insufficient drying. The location of the defect is usually the best clue for determining the cause. Before adding a process like high temperature pre-baking to address outgassing, locate where the defect occurs and investigate what material could be trapped at that location. This often produces a less expensive and more reliable correction than assuming every rejected part needs outgassing.

How do you get better finishing results with cast parts?

The first control point is the casting itself. Parts with dense, sound cast structure are much easier to finish than castings containing interconnected porosity, shrinkage cavities, or poorly vented sections. Your powder coating department may have little leverage over the casting process, but it should still identify recurring failures by department/supplier and production lot. Outgassing defects that repeatedly appear in the same area of the same part are often a casting quality or geometry problem rather than a coating line problem. Addressing these issues with the production manager or vendor may lead to corrective discussions about metal temperature, mold venting, release-agent use, fill rate, and pressure or vacuum practices.

If you’re going to use other methods to reduce outgassing defects, how important is chemical pretreatment?

Chemical pretreatment remains necessary because pre-baking does not replace cleaning or the use of a conversion coating. A typical pretreatment process may include alkaline degreasing, rinsing, etching or deoxidizing where required, conversion coating, final rinsing, and drying. Parts require particular attention to blind holes, recesses, threaded cavities, lap joints, and upward-facing pockets that can retain chemicals or rinse water. Racking should promote complete drainage when practical. Even when using an otherwise fully effective drying oven, compressed air blow-off may be justified for difficult geometries. Hidden oils, moisture, accumulated pretreatment chemistry, and other contaminants can lead to defects during powder curing. A “clean-looking” part is not necessarily a fully dry and stable part ready for the application of powder.

How do you process parts by pre-baking to reduce outgassing defects?

The most reliable in-house treatment to minimize coating defects related to outgassing is a controlled heating process typically called “pre-baking.” The objective is to bring the part-metal temperature above the temperature the parts will experience during powder curing and hold it long enough for volatile material to escape. Most experts have similar but slightly different advice: temp recommendations range from approximately 20°F above the normal cure temperature up to about 80°F above the specified part-metal temperature that will be reached during powder curing. This is a good range to use during in-house testing rather than a hard-and-fast rule.

A digital temperature meter that uses a thermocouple or a temperature profiling instrument known as a data logger should be used to measure the heaviest and most shielded sections of the parts because the oven’s air temperature display does not establish whether the part itself has reached the target temp in a given dwell time. DO NOT use a contactless “temp gun” to determine parts temperature—they’re notoriously inaccurate at higher temps or when measuring part temps at a distance, making them undependable in powder coating settings. If you don’t have a way to precisely measure peak part temperatures, it may be best to err on the side of caution and give the parts extra time beyond your initial dwell time estimate.

A general dwell time range is no less than 20 minutes and no more than 60 minutes AFTER the desired part-metal temp is reached. The dwell time depends on the substrate material, as well as the part density and complexity.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good! In many shops, the best that can be hoped for is to use the same set point and dwell time for the pre-bake cycle that’s used for the curing cycle. Although this will yield less-than-ideal results, testing will probably show that the number of outgassing-related defects can be reduced using this approach.

Should I pretreat the parts before or after heating them to address outgassing?

Deciding when to pre-bake parts can be tricky. If using a pretreatment chemical that combines a degreaser and a conversion coating, you may have only one option: to pre-bake the parts after they have been prepped chemically. When parts have been pretreated with chemicals before being thermally processed, the pretreatment supplier should approve the proposed pre-bake temperature and exposure time. The required outgassing temperature and time must be established experimentally because conversion-coating chemistry, part mass, porosity, storage history, and final performance requirements all affect the result.

When severe outgassing makes a pretreat-first sequence unreliable, the more effective route is often initial degreasing, prebaking the bare part, and then performing the final chemical pretreatment and dry-off or secondary baking immediately before powder application.

When using a conveyorized coating line, that sequence may be impractical or unachievable. To get satisfactory results, it may be necessary to use the dry-off oven as a moderate outgassing stage by increasing drying temperature and dwell time (this usually means slowing the conveyor significantly). Pre-baking parts using a separate batch oven may be the most workable solution. Once you’ve modified the process, it should be tested by checking adhesion, finish appearance, and corrosion resistance rather than assumed to be satisfactory. 

Parts should normally be coated soon after pre-baking. A slightly warm casting is desirable because prolonged storage allows porous metal to reabsorb humidity and air. The part should not be so hot that powder melts on contact and builds excessive film or becomes difficult to apply uniformly. A practical target for part temp is often approximately 25–30°F above ambient while spraying, followed by curing according to the powder supplier’s part-metal schedule.

Does the powder I use matter?

Careful powder selection can materially improve your results. Outgassing-forgiving powders and anti-gas primers are formulated to keep the film sufficiently open or fluid for gas to escape and the surface to reflow. They reduce minor defects but do not usually make a contaminated or highly porous casting acceptable. Powders that cure at lower temps are also useful, especially for zinc die castings. The International Zinc Association recommends keeping zinc-alloy die castings at or below approximately 338°F when possible because higher temperatures substantially increase blistering risk. That’s why you sometimes see powders that have a baseline cure time listed at 338°F and a shorter cure time listed at a higher temp, such as 392°F. Low-cure polyester or hybrid powder systems can provide a practical advantage if the final finish has been tested and proven to provide adequate performance. 

Film thickness must be more carefully controlled when dealing with problematic parts. Heavy powder deposition can skin over before the gas has escaped and can turn an otherwise acceptable part into a reject. Apply within the powder manufacturer’s recommended range, with special attention to edges, recesses, and electrostatic wrap areas where excessive build may occur. A two-coat system using an anti-gas primer can be effective for some parts, but the total film build and intercoat cure schedule must be qualified. 

Re-coating parts rejected due to outgassing-related defects rarely works without stripping them. Simply adding more powder to hide pinholes can make the situation worse by exaggerating defects rather than masking them as intended.

Are there any workarounds worth trying in an urgent situation like a rush job?

Bart Roegner, CEO of Reliant Finishing Systems, has encountered a technique commonly called hot flocking. In this approach, a properly pretreated and fully dried part is heated to an elevated part-metal temperature before powder is applied. The exact temperature must be selected based on the substrate, pretreatment system, and the powder manufacturer’s published cure schedule, but the part may be heated to approximately 400°F for some applications.

The part is moved to the powder booth and given a light initial coat while it is still hot. The powder melts and begins to flow almost immediately upon contacting the surface. The part is then allowed to cool enough for the remaining powder to be applied until the desired film thickness is reached. It is returned to the oven and cured according to the powder manufacturer’s recommended time at part-metal temperature.

Some customers have reported that this process can reduce visible outgassing defects on difficult castings or other porous substrates. The exact reason it works may vary depending on the substrate, the contaminants present, the powder formulation, the temperature profile, and the timing of application. It should therefore be treated as a practical application technique rather than a guaranteed solution.

Hot flocking requires a skilled painter and generally involves some trial and error using test parts. Applying too much powder during the first pass can create excessive film build, sagging, orange peel, or other appearance problems. Particularly troublesome parts may still require a separate pre-bake or degassing cycle before pretreatment and coating.

Because the process is labor intensive and difficult to control consistently, it is generally better suited to small quantities of difficult parts, although some alloy wheel manufacturers have successfully automated this process and get good to great results.

Also, It is important not to confuse this technique with the hot application processes used to coat electrical bus bars. Although both methods involve applying powder to a heated metal part, they are fundamentally different applications. In the process described above, conventional powder is applied with an electrostatic spray gun in an effort to reduce visible outgassing defects on a limited number of troublesome parts. Electrical bus bar coating on the other hand; utilizes specialty powders, very specific fluidized-bed application, and a tight cure schedule. This results in a repeatable process that can be automated and scaled for very high throughput.

Are there any workarounds worth trying in an urgent situation like a rush job?

Bart Roegner, CEO of Reliant Finishing Systems, has encountered a technique that is sometimes effective. “We’ve had customers successfully experiment with a powder application method that minimizes defects due to outgassing. It’s a variant of a technique often called hot flocking or hot flashing. It usually requires a powder that can be properly cured at temperatures somewhere between 338°F and 380°F. The part is chemically pretreated and dried fully using a higher than normal drying temperature and a longer than normal dwell time so the part-metal temp reaches around 400°F or more. As soon as this is achieved, the part is moved to the powder booth and quickly sprayed with a thin layer of powder while it’s still extremely hot but cooling. The powder melts rapidly after application and begins to cork up pores where gasses could potentially be expelled. The part begins to cool, and any expanding gasses begin to contract instead. This can create a slight vacuum, so the liquified powder is actually pulled into the pores in the surface instead of being pushed out of them, creating a sort of liquid plug. On a microscopic level, the pores themselves may also contract slightly, securing the plug in place. Once the part has cooled a bit further, more powder is applied until the full film build is reached, then the part is immediately returned to the oven for a full curing cycle at one of the lower curing temps shown on the manufacturer’s schedule. This method requires a skilled painter, and may neccesitate a bit of trial-and-error, hopefully using test parts. Without practice, it’s easy to apply too much powder on the first pass and not get the results you want. It’s also easy to get orange peel if you aren’t thoughtful about what oven temps you use. With particularly troublesome parts, this approach may need to be combined with a full pre-bake to get acceptable results. In any case, it’s too labor intensive and requires too much care for use in a production environment, but it is a way to get good results when you only have a small number of parts that need attention,” he said.

How Do I Bridge the Gap Between Best Practices & Profitability?

An ideal process would involve pre-baking every questionable part, profiling every different load scheme with a data logger and adopting an ideal prep, coating, and curing routine, using a dedicated outgassing-resistant powder/primer, and holding all parts in a climate-controlled staging area only very briefly before powder application. Most job shops and busy finishing departments cannot do all of this. 

A pragmatic solution involves a finishing program that classifies parts by risk. New castings, oily or previously used cast parts, aluminum parts with unusually heavy sections, previously rejected parts, zinc die castings, and lots that include parts with a history of pinholing receive a pre-bake and test coat. Stable parts from proven suppliers may run through the normal pretreatment and dry-off process. Problem parts can be scheduled together for “batch” pre-baking, minimizing disruption to the main line. Records should include info about the supplier, lot, pretreatment parameters, pre-bake part temperature and hold time, powder code, film thickness, and defect rate. Testing several pieces before committing an entire production load is particularly important with an unfamiliar casting or potentially problematic part. 

Finally, acceptance standards should match the part’s function. A decorative consumer component may require a nearly flawless surface, while a concealed industrial casting may tolerate isolated microscopic pinholes if adhesion and corrosion resistance remain adequate. The coating manager should establish the appearance requirement and rejection threshold before committing to costly special processing. 

The practical goal is not the elimination of every pore-related defect, it is to achieve a repeatable combination of suitable powder use, adequate cleaning, thorough drying, controlled heating during pre-baking and curing, and realistic inspection criteria—all at an economically defensible cost.

Michael Schuerer is the founder and president of Reliant Finishing Systems. He entered the finishing industry in 1999 and founded Reliant in 2005. He has visited hundreds of manufacturing facilities to evaluate process requirements, discuss finishing equipment, and troubleshoot operational issues. He also regularly contributes to technical articles on industrial finishing and thermal processing applications.

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Burns Manufacturing Customer Spotlight

This customer spotlight features a conversation between Nick Burns, the Vice President of Burns Manufacturing in Erie, Pennsylvania and Aaron Anderson, Customer Service Manager for Reliant Finishing Systems. Nick talks about how the company has grown and explains how bringing powder coating in-house has helped propel the company forward.

Tell us about the history of your company 

Burns Manufacturing has been supplying products to the architectural door trim industry since 1965, so sixty-one years in business as of this year. I work with both my brother and sister, and we’re the third generation of our family running the business. My dad just retired last year. He was the second generation and ran it with his cousin Mike. My grandfather originally worked for a competitor but wanted to do his own thing, so he left. He started it with his brother Regis, selling kick plates and wall stops. We’ve really grown into something I don’t think even he expected.

What do you make?

We make commercial door hardware. There used to be a lot of independents and now there’s only a handful of us that aren’t owned by the big package operations. 

What’s your best-selling product?

Vertical pulls. I’d like to sell just vertical pulls that are powder coated black. We can crank those out up to 12′ long.  But the custom pulls are what we love to make because it breaks up the monotony of making our standard products.

Who is your primary customer?

Most of our products get sold through distribution, architects and OEMs. We do very little work directly with end-users.

What sets you apart from your competition? 

We offer quality products and you can always call us and we’ll answer the phone. We pride ourselves on being a stable company where our customers matter. With some of these big companies–and I experience it a bit when buying powder–you deal with a different person every time you place an order, and some folks are better than others. That’s especially a problem if you need something quick or a modified option, and I feel like responsiveness is an area where we excel. We’re very attentive to our customers’ needs.

You’ve been in business a long time. Has your business changed throughout the years? If so, what drove those changes? Was it the market, your capabilities, or some of both? 

A little bit of both. Our product offerings have expanded, and we’ve increased our in-house capabilities a great deal. I’ve been here 16 years now. When I first started, we outsourced all the press brake work, welding, and powder coating. Since then, we’ve added another full-time welder, a brake (that had a pad poured in 2001 and we finally got in 2012). We’ve also added powder coating capabilities. I think our growth was not just about the equipment and processes but having the right people in the right places and evolving with technology and getting out of the, “Well that’s how we have always done it” mindset. 

Do you have a core group that has stayed with you for a long time?

We’re a small shop and we’ve always had a close-knit group of employees. In the last six years or so, we’ve had eleven guys retire that all had forty years of experience. And I tell you what, it’s not fun replacing those guys. But, we’ve gotten very lucky with the people we’ve hired, and we’ve got a great team right now.

What about other obstacles you faced? 

Powder coating was a big issue. We work to get projects done in about two weeks, and powder coating was adding another week or more to that. We’d almost never get our parts back from the powder coater in less than a week. It was often two weeks, and then you might have parts that needed extra attention or rework. That was probably the biggest hurdle we’ve gone through. Bringing powder coating in-house saved us so much. We might have twenty-five different line items on an order, and maybe five of them get powder coated. When we were outsourcing coating, if there were defects, it held the order up. We would constantly be waiting for a part or two to come back. We’d tell customers “we’ll ship it tomorrow” and then the powder coater wouldn’t have it back to us for another week. It really made us look bad, even though we didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t like telling customers something and then not being able to back it up.

A lot of it was seeing Reliant in the market. I saw your ads in some of the manufacturing magazines that we get and that led me to give Reliant a call. When I called and set up a sales appointment, we had a lot of questions and you guys had the answers. We originally thought we needed a conveyor line, but Bart and Aaron talked us into a batch system and it was one of the best equipment purchases we have made.  It was very easy to deal with Reliant. We didn’t shop around a whole lot because we were confident about what you offered. The decision we made was the right one. Support has been a big part of it. If I call with a problem or need filters, I know I’m going to speak with a tech and he’ll work with us and get us back up and running–but we have had very minimal downtime.  

How has the equipment helped your business thrive? 

It took us from a 3-4 week lead time to a 3-day lead time and gave us more control over the coating process. Time is everything in our industry, so that’s been a big competitive advantage, helping us get our customers’ projects wrapped up so they can get off the job site.

What are your future plans for the business?

Honestly, I’m perfectly fine with where we’re at right now. We are busy and need more employees. We had to get creative to fit the oven and spray booth in the building and we are running out of room. Top of my wish list would probably be a laser, but that will be sometime in the future.

Nick, thank you very much for taking time to talk with me, and thanks for being a Reliant customer. We wish you the best and hope Burns Manufacturing continues to grow and thrive.

Visit Burns Manufacturing online at https://www.burnsmfg.com/ to learn more about their company and products.

Considering bringing powder coating in-house? Give us a call at (256) 355-9000 and let Reliant’s experts help you get the perfect coating system for your business.

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Add Value & Make Your Coating Operation More Successful

Turning your business-to-business powder coating shop into a true value-adding partner for fabricators and OEMs will help you make your business more successful. The process starts by thinking beyond the basics of applying coatings and shipping parts back or having them ready for pick-up. This may be the core of your business, but there’s more you can do to gain a competitive edge.

Along the same lines, fab shops that bring coating in-house can enjoy greater success by doing more than just applying a finish to their parts. The same goes for finishing department managers who want to be seen as adding value for the company and not just cranking out coated parts.

Instead of selling a “commodity finish” that’s like everyone else’s, you can gain an advantage by promoting time savings, problem solving, and reliability. That’s what businesspeople care about, even if they don’t say it that plainly, and these are areas where you can stand out in a crowded market.

Click HERE to learn about a fabrication company that enhanced its capabilities by bringing coating in-house. Only months in, they’re already celebrating the decision as a win. This makes for interesting reading, whether you’re a fabricator thinking about adding powder coating capabilities or a powder coating shop wanting to hear straight talk about why fabricators move on. It comes down to capabilities and value.

One powerful way to add value is by expanding the variety and types of coatings and finishes you offer. Specialty powders such as textures, metallics, anti-graffiti, chemical-resistant, and UV-stable outdoor products aren’t available from all powder coating shops. Neither are food safe finishes or high-temperature coatings. These unique finishes can help solve real-world problems for your customers or give them a way to distinguish their brands. 

 

Michael Schuerer, president of Reliant Finishing Systems, notes, “When your customer has a part that will be installed outdoors, or used around chemicals, or involves hot equipment, they often don’t know which coating products to specify. If you can recommend a proven coating, and you have it in stock or can quickly source it, you become their coatings consultant, not just a vendor. There are plenty of powder suppliers out there who offer excellent specialized coatings, but most fabricators and large-scale manufacturers aren’t researching the market and learning what’s available. By doing some homework and becoming more of an expert, you really do make yourself and your coating business more valuable as a resource. The same applies to coating line managers in a production environment. They’re usually so busy keeping things running and dealing with in-house issues that they build a relationship with one or two powder suppliers and just use whatever products they suggest. By investing some time in learning about what powders are out there, they can add value to what they’re doing and help the entire company.”

The most obvious way to differentiate yourself is through your equipment and capabilities. If you’ve got larger equipment than others in your market, you can capture work they can’t. In fact, you’re likely to win every job that involves parts that are too big for your local competitors with smaller equipment to handle.

Aaron Anderson, Reliant’s customer service manager, adds, “Over the last decade, I’ve never talked with a customer who wished he’d bought smaller equipment, especially when it comes to powder curing ovens. Fortunately, our booths and ovens are modular in design, so we frequently get calls about making them larger. We’ve sold countless expansion kits to customers who saw the advantage of having size-related capabilities that their competitors don’t.”

Click HERE for a great interview with a Reliant customer who started out with a big system to capture jobs that other coaters couldn’t handle.

Beyond the coating itself, you can build value with services that are both directly and indirectly linked to the coating process. Maybe the part has an uncoated surface that needs to be polished. Is that something you can offer to do? If you’re working with a fabricator or reseller, perhaps the parts can be packaged for delivery to the end-customer before they leave your shop. Cleaning, masking, plugging, and thread protection are easy examples. Some shops still expect their customers to send over clean parts or do all the masking, but that adds labor and complexity on the customer’s side. If you can take that work over using consistent, repeatable methods, you can remove a headache for them. The same goes for light assembly work, hardware installation, labeling, and kitting parts for specific projects or production cells.

Lead time and flexibility are also major opportunities. Fabricators and OEMs increasingly need short runs, multiple colors, and quick turn-arounds. If your operation is set up to handle small batches efficiently and you can quickly change colors throughout the day, rack parts intelligently, and schedule jobs accurately, this agility allows you to offer just-in-time coating that supports lean manufacturing. That means you’ll be coating and delivering parts in the sequence and quantities your customer needs, rather than focusing on large batches that require long waits. When a customer sees that your responsiveness keeps their business running or gets better outcomes than breaking into their in-house coating schedule, price becomes less of a deciding factor. 

Click HERE to read how a Reliant customer used his company’s agility and quick turn-around times to get a competitive advantage.

Communication and documentation play a big role in being a strategic partner. Many OEMs need traceability, process records, and consistent quality documentation. This is where most mom & pop coating shops miss out. Offering basic certificates of conformance, recorded cure schedules with data logging, film build checks, and clear-cut inspection criteria signals that you understand their quality system and can support it. This takes time, effort, and the right tools, but can set your shop up for success with bigger customers. For smaller customers, you might help create a coating specification just for their product line and then own that process for them.

To win this kind of work, you also need to adjust how you promote and present your operation. Whether you’re a salesperson, fab or coating shop owner, or finishing line manager looking to move up, instead of leading with “we powder coat parts,” lead with outcomes: better field performance, minimal rework, shorter lead times, less handling, and fewer processes, employees, or suppliers to manage. Use case studies—even simple before-and-after stories—to show how you took over packaging, solved a corrosion issue, or cut a customer’s lead time in half. If it’s possible, assign some rough numbers to the value of these changes in dollars and cents. When you speak the language of production managers and engineers, you may stop being treated like a line item on a task list and become part of their process strategy.

In short, treat every added offering as a way to remove hassles, friction, and risk for your customers or employer. Do that consistently, and your powder coating service, fabrication shop, or in-house coating department becomes a value-added partner others will become reluctant to replace or upset, even in a competitive environment.

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Reflections in Metal Customer Spotlight

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Aaron Anderson, Reliant’s Customer Service Manager, recently spoke with Andrew Krob, one of the owners of Reflections in Metal, a fabrication and metalworking company based in Cortez, Colorado. Andrew discussed how the company started and has employed 3 generations of his family. He also explained how upgrading from an older powder curing oven helped propel the company forward.

Please tell us about the history of your company. How did you get started?

My dad, Jason Krob, was a pipeline welder in Alaska. The job paid great money, but the hours were terrible. He’d have to leave us for 3 weeks at a time, then come back for a week. While he was there, he discovered he loved working with metal and he really liked the way the colors worked out on the steel. He was doing stainless tig welding, so he’d get the pretty welds and see the colorful stuff the metal does when heated. In 1992, he started his own side business when he was at home from the pipeline work. It worked out well and he was able to leave his job and grow his own company. In 2004, he went full time with Reflections in Metal. That’s when we started doing our metal art on a larger scale.

At that time, my grandpa, Jerry Krob, partnered with him. It was just him and my grandpa basically working out of the garage doing metalwork full time. I had been working with them since I was a kid, but once I graduated, I wanted to go out and get my welding certs. I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay with the family business or go out on my own. I got all my welding certs in Phoenix and did tig welding outside in Phoenix, Arizona. It wasn’t long until I realized I didn’t want to work for anyone else again for the rest of my life.

Back then, I was young and making good money. I thought I was big and bad but wanted more. I came back home took over 33% of the family company. From 2013 until my grandpa’s death, it was a split company. We were growing and things were really kicking off. We were doing art shows all over the country, selling gates and railings, and we began upgrading to industrial fabrication equipment, like brakes and shears.

What does your company make?

We do just about anything made out of metal. The majority is decorative metal art–wall art, business signs, logos, things like that. As we’ve grown, an increasing portion of our work involves serious fabrication. These projects can require hundreds of feet of railing, large decorative gates, even structural components. We just helped build a Starbucks in Gallup, New Mexico, where we erected the steel and put it all together. That’s the nice thing about our company; we can do just about anything under the sun that’s metal.

Since your family has welding experience, that probably comes in handy, doesn’t it?

Yes, that certainly does make it easier, but I can tell you the whole family aspect of it can make it challenging sometimes. I joke that my dad likes to stick weld everything like it’s 1965. 

Since most of your experience is with metalworking, what was your main reason for bringing powder coating in-house?

When my dad first started doing metal art, he didn’t know the best way to seal it. At that time, he’d just do raw cut outs or spray paint it. He was doing nice large pieces and he started applying the burned finishes, where you grind the metal and apply the heat, and it gives it that cool rainbow patina. He was limited in his coating ability because he was using an automotive clear coat, probably a lacquer, and it just wasn’t lasting.

In 2009, he discovered powder coating, built his own oven, and it was off to the races. He only had that one for 2 years. Believe it or not, homemade ovens are not the smartest move if you’re trying to run a serious business. Next, he ended up buying a used oven. It worked for a while, but everything was antiquated and the oven was only 7’ x 7’ x 9’. Powder coating was a great move, and it was the right choice for finishing everything we made. If a customer wanted something simple, like black, or something more detailed, like copper vein, we could do that no problem. He quit messing around with any other finishing techniques, but we were severely limited by our oven. That oven had been discontinued, and there was no support. We were making parts for it, building our own burner components, and dealing with issues with the safety devices–it was horrible.

Once you got the new Reliant oven, what were some of the major differences you noticed between it and the used oven? 

I could talk all day about that! Simplicity, as far as ease of use and reliability, is the most notable difference across the board. You go over, turn it on, it gets to temp, and you get to work. You’re not over there watching it and worrying about it shutting down, overheating, or failing to reach temp. The reliability is incredible. We’ve had it running almost non-stop since May and it just keeps going like clockwork. We do a small bit of routine maintenance like we were told to, and it just keeps going. No major breakdowns or loss of time or messing up. Our used oven wouldn’t always get up to temperature, so you’d end up in a panic trying to fix the thing while you had parts curing in it.

Another benefit I wasn’t expecting–that’s been a big plus–is the efficiency. With the Reliant oven, we can get a huge rack of parts up to temp, cure them, and roll them out in less than an hour. With our old oven, which had only about 1/3rd of the capacity, this would take up to 2-3 hours. Our gas bill is also lower. We figure we’re using about a 1/3rd of the propane we were using with the old oven, while tripling our output. It’s nuts.

What made you decide to choose Reliant?

To be candid, we were looking at a lot of different companies and trying to really do our homework. We already had some experience buying new equipment. Around the time we purchased the Reliant oven, we were buying lasers and all kinds of other equipment, plus new powder coating guns. We really got a bad taste in our mouth from another company that we bought an air compressor from. So, on our future equipment purchases, we wanted to vet the companies and make sure the equipment was American-made and the company would be easy to get ahold of if we needed them.

We like companies where you can talk to one person and they’ve got a team that can help you out. A big plus was when we called and your guys were able to work with us on the double-ended oven design. It just seemed like we were making a human connection, as weird as that sounds. It’s not like dealing with some crazy corporation where I’m talking to “John” who doesn’t really exist. We looked into your company, and the reliability of the equipment seemed legit and the reviews were excellent. We even went as far as Googling companies addresses to make sure there were real businesses there and, honestly, you guys passed the vibe check. We saw where you were located and it was a real place where you’re actually manufacturing the equipment, and not just a sales office or some kind of front.

So you saw our no-frills factory and sales offices?

I saw an American business. Your guy came down and saw our shop. It’s a smallish family business where everything seems to be in chaos right now. At our place, I’m looking at weeds that I need to knock down, but that’s not the most important thing about running a successful business and turning out a quality product.

Speaking of our tech who came out, how did the start-up go?

Amazing, absolutely amazing. Wasn’t his name Tim?

Yes, he’s one of our in-house technicians. So, you were pleased with the outcome of his visit?

He was an absolute godsend. We had some issues, because the regulator system that was on our old oven was a little redneck engineered. For the new oven, we had to get a different regulator installed and make sure it was flowing right. Your tech stayed and made sure everything was on point and functioning like it should. He walked us through how to operate the oven. He ran it to temp a few times and that was crazy to watch. He was doing the start-up sequence, and the oven was getting to 400° so fast. Unbelievably fast to us based on our old oven, so we were like “this is amazing.” He said, “this isn’t even that great–we can get a little more out of it.” We were blown away. I can’t say enough good things about how everything went.

What are your future plans?

Well, thanks to y’all’s oven we’ve already started focusing more energy on larger projects. I’m now able to do 60′ of linear railing in a single batch. It would have taken 6 full batches with my old oven. We’re looking to take on more large-scale fabrication jobs since we have greater capabilities, while continuing to do metalworking projects. I’ll always do metalworking because I love some aspects of it. I was born into it, and I watched my dad and grandpa do metalwork for years.

It’s exciting because now we can accomplish so much more and on a larger scale. I recently did a 15′ eagle sculpture that I never would have been able to do before. I got it worked up, powder coated it, and I could feel proud of the finished product because it turned out amazing.

Andrew, thanks again for your business and for taking time to tell us about your company. We’re extremely happy that Reflections in Metal is growing and getting great results from your Reliant powder curing oven and we look forward to hearing about your continued success!

If you need custom fabrication and metalworking services in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, or Utah—or just want see see some beautiful examples of custom metal fabrication—please visit https://www.reflectionsinmetal.net/ to learn more. You can also find Reflections in Metal on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinmetal/.

If you’d like to discuss how Reliant Finishing Systems can help you launch, expand, or upgrade your powder coating operation, give us a call at (256) 355-9000 today.

System

Why Investing in a Powder Coating System in Q4 2025 is a Smart Move

Michael Schuerer

President, Reliant Finishing Systems

Why Invest in Powder Coating?

If you’re reading this article, you probably already know the answer to this question, so I’ll keep this section brief. Manufacturers, fabricators, and custom job shops that don’t have powder coating capabilities can benefit from a powder coating system because it gives them greater control over finish quality, saves them money compared to outsourcing, and can dramatically shorten their lead times. Investing in a powder coating system can provide similar advantages for businesses considering upgrading from their old wet paint line.

For many companies, these benefits are achieved by purchasing an equipment package that includes a spray-wand pretreatment station, a drying/curing oven, a powder spray booth, and a professional powder coating gun. These components make up a “batch” powder coating system, where parts are prepped, coated, and cured in batches. As a result, the equipment is usually large enough to accommodate several parts at one time.

Reliant Finishing Systems and a handful of other established national manufacturers focus on industrial finishing equipment and turn-key powder coating packages. As compared to low-cost offerings from online stores, these professional coating systems are typically larger, better made, more durable, and designed to provide superior quality results. 

By investing in a complete professional coating system from a single reputable manufacturer, buyers ensure that each and every component they receive is designed to work together seamlessly. This results in higher throughput, better finish quality, and simplified support. These are key advantages for companies aiming to improve their in-house finishing operations or bring coating in-house for the first time.

Why is Q4 2025 the Perfect Time to Buy?

Uncertainty about tariffs, combined with the lack of interest rate reductions in 2025, caused many metalworking and fabrication businesses to stay in a holding pattern rather than surge forward. Much of their dilemma seems tied to a lack of spending for capital equipment, even though their executives know they need it to grow. This is something I’ve seen nationwide, a “playing not to lose” mindset instead of “playing to win.” 

Possibly the best reason: You’ll get the jump on your competitors. 

In contrast to the majority of businesses who are playing it safe, a small group of fabricators and agile manufacturing businesses I’ve visited recently have taken action during 2025 and are now reaping the rewards of their decisiveness. These companies either chose to bring coating in-house or upgrade from painting their products to powder coating them. Rather than wait for the environment to stabilize, they took advantage of their competitors’ inactivity. 

Although the doldrums continue to exist in many markets, eventually some company leaders will take the initiative to move forward, realizing that the business climate is likely to improve (and their company will need to remain competitive even if it doesn’t).

You have to start now if you want to be ready for Q1/Q2 2026 production. Lead times for custom-built finishing equipment can span from several weeks to a handful of months. Purchasing in Q4 means your system can be manufactured, delivered, and installed over the winter, so it’s fully operational early in the year, when production often ramps up. 

No one wants to miss customer deadlines or turn away business in early 2026 because they’re still waiting on delivery of their new system. As an industry guide from another industrial machinery supplier notes, acting now “ensures your new equipment is installed and operational before supply chain slowdowns or vendor backlogs impact your schedule.” In other words, if you buy now, you avoid the rush (and potential shortages) in Q1 as other companies race to start spending their 2026 budgets. You’ll get to start the new year with expanded capabilities instead of headaches.

You can take advantage of tax incentives & budget utilization. In the United States, there are significant tax advantages for buying equipment before year-end. Thanks to recent changes, Section 179 deductions and bonus depreciation are something to get excited about again! Because of recent tax code updates, businesses can deduct up to $2.5 million of qualifying equipment purchases immediately, rather than depreciating over years. Also, 100% bonus depreciation has been restored for equipment placed in service by December 31, 2025. What does this mean for your business? Essentially, if you buy a powder coating system quickly, you can potentially write off the entire cost in the 2025 tax year, reducing taxable income and boosting cash flow in 2026. It’s a compelling financial reason to invest now instead of later.
This is general information. Please check with a qualified tax professional to learn how to take advantage of current opportunities. 

It’s a smart bet. The powder coating market is growing, and demand for coated finishes is rising ~5–6% annually, much more in certain segments. Adding in-house coating capability or replacing an old paint line could be a smart strategic move to capture more business. If you’re in business, you’re constantly hearing about topics like reshoring and sustainability. Domestic manufacturing is on the rise and powder coating’s eco-friendliness is increasingly preferred over wet paint. So, investing in a powder coating system now positions you to meet future demand and pass ever-stricter environmental standards. 

There are great financing options available if upfront capital is a concern. Reliant Finishing Systems, for example, offers financing plans that can make a basic system attainable for less than a thousand dollars a month. Combined with the potential tax savings, the equipment can “pay for itself” through increased productivity and tax breaks. If you’re trying to get your coating line established or want to replace an aging system, this one-two punch (ease of financing + tax deduction) can neutralize management’s price objections and reinforce why Q4 2025 is an ideal window to invest.

Start the new year with new capabilities. If you act quickly in Q4, you can start 2026 with confidence. Your new coating line will be ready to boost production and you’ll have the backing of Reliant’s responsive team of experts to help ensure your success.

Make 2026 your most productive year yet by investing in the right equipment and the best partner to set you up for success. Contact Reliant today at (256) 355-9000 to discuss your needs, get advice, and quickly receive a quote for your new equipment. Let’s get your powder coating operation up and running ASAP!

Powder

Powder Coating vs. Liquid Paint: 3 Reasons Why Powder Is the Smart Choice

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Michael Schuerer
President, Reliant Finishing Systems

When it comes to coating metal parts, businesses are making the switch from traditional liquid paint to powder coating. Powder coating isn’t just better for the environment, it also outperforms liquid paint’s durability, efficiency, and cost. In almost all situations, it’s easy to make a business case for transitioning to powder coating.
Since becoming involved in the finishing industry over 25 years ago, I’ve seen a steady transition from paint to powder by industrial clients, especially in the past 10 years. As the powder coating process has become better understood by the average manufacturer or fabricator, its popularity has skyrocketed in the U.S. There are 3 main reasons why this has happened, and they’re summarized in this article. As a business owner or finishing department manager comparing the two finishes, here’s what you need to know:

1. Powder Coating Offers Superior Durability

If you’re looking for a finish that stands up to wear, corrosion, and harsh environments, powder coating wins hands down. From a strictly performance-based perspective, powder coating is both physically and chemically more durable. 

Most paint finishes are typically softer than an average powder coating. Unlike liquid paint, powder coatings form a tougher, more resilient surface. They resist chipping, scratching, and chemical damage, making them ideal for demanding applications that require a protective, long-lasting finish. This is especially true with products that are used outdoors. Manufacturers that have already embraced the benefits of powder coating include producers of agricultural equipment, lawn furniture, architectural components, oil & gas equipment, wheels, aerospace components, and truck & ATV accessories.

With better corrosion resistance, powder coating helps extend the service life of a wide range of products. It has become the go-to finishing process for countless parts and assemblies that are exposed to the elements on a daily basis. Also, in fields where downtime is costly, powder coating protects critical components from rust and wear, helping minimize unscheduled maintenance.

The bottom line: powder lasts longer and protects better than paint, helping your products–and your business–perform at a higher level.

2. Powder Coating Is Easier and More Efficient

Anyone who’s worked with liquid paint in a production setting knows it can be messy, finicky, and time-consuming to work with. In contrast, powder coating is far more forgiving and profit-friendly. Why is this?

Less training is required – Operators can achieve a quality finish with substantially less training or professional experience.

Fewer Costly QC issues – Powder coating errors can often be corrected before curing, without costly rework.

Less Material Waste – Powder coating involves less overspray than wet paint, so more coating material ends up on the part.

Lower Clean-Up Costs – Professional powder guns have integrated self-cleaning routines, so color changes are faster. Unlike sticky wet paint, spent powder is easily blown off and swept up when dealing with spills or routine booth upkeep.

Faster turnaround – Since there aren’t delays waiting on flash times between coating and curing, you may get more parts get finished per shift. 

If you’re trying to boost output without increasing labor or overhead, switching to powder can significantly increase throughput and reduce waste.

3. Powder Coating Reduces Costs

One of the most compelling reasons to switch to powder coating is the lower cost per square foot. 

For the following evaluation, we left out the cost of getting parts ready to coat. This is because the cost of prepping parts for paint or powder is about the same. 

We used paint and powder prices that are fairly common in 2025 for non-specialty products. We imagined a situation where the powder is applied, moved directly to a curing oven, cured, and then cooled briefly before handling. With wet paint, we assumed the paint is applied, allowed to flash-off, moved to a curing oven, cured, and then cooled briefly before handling. At some facilities, heated paint booths are used, so the paint is applied and cured in the same appliance. For our comparison, the transfer efficiencies–how much paint or powder sticks to the part versus the total amount sprayed–are typical for industry: about 50% for paint and 70% for powder (although some powder coaters achieve much better results). 

To illustrate the difference, we looked closely at the cost of materials and then pointed out other factors that impact the overall cost. For our example, let’s compare the amount of powder against the amount of liquid paint needed to cover a 1’ square at 2.5 mils. The mil, or thousandth of an inch (.001”), is commonly referenced in engineering and manufacturing. It is used to specify the thickness of items such as film, foil, coatings, latex gloves, plastic sheeting, etc. To put it in perspective, a sheet of notebook or copy paper is usually about 3-4 mils thick. Here’s a simplified cost comparison using an industry-standard application thickness of 2.5 mils:

Powder Coating Cost

  • Powder cost: $8.00 per pound
  • Coverage: 38.64 square feet per pound (after accounting for 70% transfer efficiency)
  • Material cost per square foot: About $0.21

Liquid Paint Cost (Polyurethane)

  • Paint cost: $75.00 per gallon
  • Coverage: 144 square feet per gallon (at 50% transfer efficiency)
  • Material cost per square foot: About $0.52

That’s about 2.5x the cost of powder coating just in materials—and that’s before factoring in:

  • Time lost waiting for flash-off period before paint can be force dried using heated air
  • Higher expendables costs associated with disposable paint booth filtration
  • Increased labor costs for more highly skilled workers
  • Increased cost of rework situations
  • The labor, materials, and curing expenses incurred when additional coats of paint are needed to reach higher mil thicknesses
  • Costs associated with paint mixing and storage
  • Hazardous waste disposal costs
  • Fire safety and ventilation requirements not needed with powder

If your operation spends $250,000 annually on paint materials, switching to powder could save $150,000 a year in materials alone! As you can see, the return on investment associated with acquiring powder coating equipment and changing finishing processes is substantial and easy to justify.

What’s Needed To Upgrade To Powder

Let’s consider what’s needed by moving through the steps required for powder coating:

Parts Prep

As with industrial painting, you’ll need to prep your parts for finishing. If you’re painting now, you should already have blasting or chemical pretreatment equipment, or both. If you don’t, you should know that over 90% of all finish defects are caused by improper or inadequate parts preparation, so budget for new pretreatment equipment! Surface preparation tools may include blast rooms and related equipment, spray-wand type chemical washers, or multi-stage chemical pretreatment systems to remove contaminants, improve the surface, and promote adhesion.

If you choose to use chemical pretreatment, you may need to consider adding a drying oven or adjust your throughput estimates to allow for your curing oven to be used for drying pretreated parts. Many pretreatment chemistries can cause flash rust if you simply allow the parts to air dry.

Powder Application

A powder spray booth provides a controlled, ventilated environment where powder is applied. Professional booths include filtration systems that capture overspray and maintain air quality inside. More sophisticated booths may incorporate powder reclamation units to recover unused powder for reuse, increasing efficiency and reducing waste.

One or more electrostatic powder guns apply the powder to grounded metal parts. The guns use compressed air and an electrical charge to create attraction between the powder and the substrate. Gun systems can range from simple manual guns that draw powder from the powder supplier’s shipping box to arrays of automated guns that move robotically and adjust automatically to provide efficient powder coverage. 

Additional compressed air supply equipment is needed if your facility doesn’t have enough capacity to support blasting and/or powder spraying operations, including an air compressor, moisture separator or dryer, and one or more air pressure regulators. It is important to ensure clean, dry air is delivered to the spray guns for optimal performance.

Powder Curing

A curing oven is essential for bonding the powder to the metal substrate. The oven is usually gas-fired and must reach and maintain temperatures between about 350°F and 450°F for proper curing of all common powders. Batch ovens (where batches of parts are hung from rolling racks and cured together) are common for small to mid-sized operations, while conveyorized systems suit higher-volume production scenarios, especially if parts are consistently of similar shapes and sizes. Some companies, such as Reliant Finishing Systems, also offer custom powder curing ovens designed for extremely large parts and assemblies.

Other Tools

A few additional items like racking systems, hooks, PPE, and mil thickness gauges are needed for part handling, safety, and quality control. 

The equipment outlined above enables efficient, repeatable, and professional-grade powder coating.

Bonus Info: What To Avoid

At Reliant, we’re often asked if existing wet paint equipment can be reused for powder coating or if both processes can be performed using the same equipment. Technically, you may be able to, but it’s a terrible idea. 

Liquid paint booths are usually designed with higher airflow than powder coating booths and the curing temperatures for powder are higher than for wet paint, so trying to recycle your existing finishing line can cause a host of problems. The lack of purpose-built powder coating equipment can create finish defects, reduce throughput, and inject serious safety issues because:

  • Heated paint booths don’t operate at high enough temperatures to cure powder.
  • Unheated paint booths typically use shop air and vent it to the outside atmosphere. Powder booths are not required to do this, so continuing to vent to the outdoors is wasteful if your facility has heated or cooled shop space. 
  • Exhaust filtration for wet paint booths is typically not suitable for powder booths.
  • Excessive booth airflow can draw powder away from the parts, wasting material.
  • Overtaxing a paint curing oven by operating it at higher temperatures can shorten longevity, reduce dependability, and create potentially unsafe conditions.

Most importantly, if you’re going to perform both wet painting and powder coating in the same facility, it’s crucial to keep dedicated booths for each process. Cross-contamination between powder and solvent-based paint is dangerous.

Ready to Learn More?

At Reliant Finishing Systems, we’re dedicated to helping our customers make smarter finishing decisions. Whether you’re just starting out, looking to upgrade your existing setup, or ready to transition from paint to powder, we’ve got the tools and expertise to guide you.

📩 Have questions or want to suggest a topic? Email us at sales@reliantfinishingsystems.com or give us a call at 256-355-9000.

📚 Explore more resources about powder coating how-to, troubleshooting & techniques, and equipment maintenance and operation at our Resources Page.

Large System

A Coater’s Guide to Thriving During Pre-Election Uncertainty

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Election years are notorious for creating a sense of economic uncertainty. Consumers may tend to hold back on spending, and businesses may hesitate to invest because they anticipate potential economic, regulatory, or tax changes. For small to mid-sized companies, especially those in niche industries like custom fabrication and powder coating, these “election year jitters” can pose unique challenges. However, there are strategies you can adopt to weather this period of uncertainty and capitalize on the opportunities that arise

Understand Election Year Jitters

During an election year, markets often experience volatility as presidential candidates outline their policies. The candidates will usually present contrasting policies which can impact various industries very differently. Business leaders can also become more emotional with their decision making, especially if they feel strongly for or against a particular candidate or agenda. 

For larger industrial companies, concerns about changing manufacturing and environmental regulations, trade policies, and taxation may come into play. This uncertainty can lead to delayed investments by big manufacturers, slowed orders from companies that support construction and infrastructure, or postponements of projects in many industries that utilize powder coating. Companies such as heavy equipment manufacturers, aerospace and defense contractors, automotive industry support vendors, and businesses that provide non-essential retail products, such as outdoor furniture, may all choose to take a “wait and see” approach and operate without their usual sense of urgency.

Despite this economic apprehension, it’s important to remember that election year jitters are a temporary phenomenon. The impact is often short-term, and the economy tends to stabilize once the election results are known, and the direction of future policies becomes clearer. Nevertheless, you should be proactive if you want to ensure continued profitability and stability over the next few months.

Stay Informed and Adapt to Policy Changes

Both before and after the election, there will be discussions about new or changing policies that can directly affect small businesses like yours. You should stay informed about potential changes that could impact your business. Research applicable trade regulations, environmental policies, and labor laws, as well as business tax changes and tax credit opportunities.

Once the election results are in and policies start to take shape, be ready to adapt quickly. Be proactive. This can include complying with new environmental regulations, shifting your sales focus to capture business in markets that open rapidly due to policy changes, or adjusting your pricing to reflect changing labor laws. Being informed and taking action promptly will give you a competitive advantage over less-prepared competitors.

Strengthen Customer Relationships

In times of economic uncertainty, strong relationships with your customers become even more critical. Your existing customer base can be a lifeline when new orders are slow to come in. Focus on enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Increased communication with clients, especially your key accounts, will help you stay top-of-mind and position your business as a reliable partner.

Now may also be a good time to implement loyalty programs or offer incentives for repeat business. Discounted rates for long-term clients or bundled services can encourage your customers to stay with you despite economic jitters. Make sure to highlight the added value you can provide–whether it’s your expertise, customer support services, quick turnaround times, or high-quality finishes. A mix of advantageous pricing and added value can give clients confidence about continuing their projects with you rather than pausing or looking elsewhere during a downturn.

Stay responsive to customer needs. Election year fall-out can change the priorities of certain customers, and being flexible enough to adjust your offerings accordingly can make a big difference. Use the upcoming election as a motivation to have your salesforce connect more closely with your customers. Coach them to ask about and listen to their clients’ concerns, then you can devise a way to provide tailored solutions.

Diversify Your Customer Base

One of the most effective ways for fabricators and powder coaters to mitigate the effects of economic uncertainty is by diversifying their customer base. Relying on a single industry or a few large clients for all your business can expose your company to extraordinary risk if your usual customers cool off due to election-related concerns. Expanding into different markets can spread your risk and create new revenue streams.

Consider offering your services to industries less impacted by political uncertainty, such as transportation, farming, essential consumer goods, and healthcare equipment. If you’re able to support them, explore opportunities in local or regional markets that may be outside of your normal range. This is one of the easiest ways to expand your company’s reach, simply by “stretching out.” 

You may also find the demand for powder coating services will be more stable from small businesses as compared to giant customers from industries tied to global trade. As an example, small fabricators and refurbishment contractors across the country need powder coating for metal fencing, office furniture, handrail, automotive components, agricultural implements, ATV accessories, and other products. If you can capture their business, they can provide a steady stream of coating work, even during this election period. 

You can also target companies you’ve simply failed to approach in the past, either because you didn’t need their business, or you previously found the cost of selling to or supporting them too high. Now is a good time to shake things up if your competitors are being overly conservative with their efforts

Watch Your Cash Flow

Cash flow management is crucial for any small business, but it becomes even more important when future sales are uncertain. During Q4, fluctuating demand could lead to cash flow constraints if your clients delay projects or payments. Maintaining appropriate cash flow is essential for sustaining operations and avoiding potential financial difficulties. To protect your business, adopt basic cash flow strategies.

Tighten payment terms: Shorten your payment cycles by reducing the time between invoicing and collection. This can ensure you have consistent revenue coming in. You may also have success by offering discounts for pre-payment, which will eliminate collections hassles and reduce your risk.

Build up reserves: If possible, set aside a last-minute financial cushion as soon as possible. Having some liquidity during Q4 will give you the flexibility to better manage any short-term disruptions.

Reduce non-essential expenses: Identify areas where you can reduce costs without compromising the quality of your services. Whether it’s batching multiple jobs to reduce fuel consumption, renegotiating powder supplier contracts, or curbing non-essential spending by salespeople and office personnel, small savings can add up and help you maintain profitability during slow periods.

Additionally, you may want to promptly establish finance options, such as a line of credit with your bank. These can serve as a backup in case of cash flow issues in Q4.

Double Down on Marketing and Visibility

When economic uncertainty is looming, many businesses tend to pull back on marketing efforts. By taking advantage of this period of reduced marketing effort by competitors and maintaining–or even increasing–your marketing efforts right now, you can position your business to capture new customers while your competition is less visible to buyers.

As we near the election, powder coating businesses can focus on a mix of increased customer contact by their salespeople and a simple digital marketing strategy to reach new customers and reinforce brand awareness among existing customers who are also being targeted by your salesforce. The plan would include:

Optimize and update your website: Ensure your website is up to date and optimized for search engines (SEO). If you haven’t made changes to your site in the last year or two, now’s the time to update. If you don’t have a website, pay someone to make you one ASAP. Don’t cheap out—in the digital age, your website is how you show and tell the world who you are. If prospective customers are searching for powder coating services in your area, you want to be among the first they find. This may require more extensive spending on pay-per-click (PPC) ads or other types of online promotion. You also want to make sure that any pricing, tech specs, or lead time info that may be listed on your site is accurate. Outdated information can sabotage new leads when perspective buyers find out the pricing or lead times are incorrect.

Take advantage of social media engagement: Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn can be used to showcase your completed projects, post customer testimonials, and entice buyers with behind-the-scenes images or video of your operations. Engaging content can keep your business at the forefront of people’s minds, and the exposure is essentially free if you create your own content.

Invest in targeted advertising: Consider running targeted ads to reach specific markets or industries. For example, Google Ads or Facebook Ads can help you promote powder coating services to buyers who fit a particular profile, operate in specific geographic locations, or do business in sectors that are less likely to be impacted by political or economic fluctuations.

Marketing during tough times is about maintaining visibility and building brand equity. If done properly, your marketing efforts now will help ensure that when economic conditions improve, your business will be well-positioned to capture more market share.

Focus on Improvement

Efficiency is critical to maintaining profitability, especially during times of uncertainty. Election year jitters can prompt higher operational scrutiny from business executives. They want to know that every dollar spent will generate predictable returns. If that doesn’t appear likely, they may choose to postpone or cancel pending projects. For powder coating businesses, this means big projects may disappear or be delayed. 

If your workload does decrease, it could be a great time to examine your processes and improve your efficiency. If you encounter a slow period, use it to develop ways to optimize production once you become busy again. Find ways to reduce waste. Evaluate your supply chain for inefficiencies. Clean your shop. Experiment and learn how to improve productivity, quality, or both. If possible, expand your range of powder coating offerings by introducing specialty coatings.

If you don’t have them, consider adopting modern software tools that can streamline tasks like quoting, invoicing, and scheduling, or help you better manage your salesforce. Explore new equipment that can improve throughput or reduce waste in your coating processes. 

In addition to boosting your profitability, innovation and improvement can help you stand out from competitors and increase your perceived value. Simple things, like having your shop in tip-top shape, creating fresh brochures, or adding new coating equipment or finish offerings can help you capture the attention of potential customers while your competitors are being complacent and waiting for the election to get behind them.  

Hang in There

While pre-election jitters can create uncertainty, powder coating businesses can take steps now to mitigate their effects. By taking appropriate action, your business can remain resilient, and you may even find opportunities for growth during this period of uncertainty.

If you’d like to talk with an expert about pretreatment washers, blast rooms, paint/powder booths, or curing ovens, please give us a call at (256) 355-9000. We’re happy to discuss your existing coating line or suggest equipment that can help you reduce costs and improve throughput.

If you’re attending FABTECH, visit us at booth W2680.