Coatings and Fabrication

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ELECTROCOATING
Copyright 1999/2004 Mario S Pennisi Principal Consultant - Penlia & Co
mariopen@coatfab.com or mariopen@ worldconferencesystems.com
What is electrocoating?
Electrocoating is another of the more recent coatings systems. It was originally developed as
an automotive body primer in the early 1960's and used by Ford in Australia from that time.
The technology has grown to become an economically efficient and environmentally friendly
process.
Today, more than 98% of all car bodies produced globally use an electrocoat primer. New end
uses for electrocoat are found annually, for example, automotive parts and accessories;
appliances; heat exchangers; decorative plated objects and heat-sensitive components.
Preparation
Surfaces have to be chemically clean prior to electrocoating. A 7-stage phosphating sequence
is usual.
How is it done?
The basic principle of electrocoat is that materials with opposite electrical charges are
attracted to each other. In an electrocoat bath a specific charge is applied to the part that is
immersed in paint particles that have an opposite charge.
The paint particles are attracted to the part and are deposited on the part to form an even,
continuous film over every surface until the coating reaches the desired thickness.
Electrocoating is complete when attraction stops.
Electrocoating is classified as either anodic or cathodic depending on the polarity of the
charge.

Anodic
In anodic electrocoating,
the part to be coated is
made the anode (a positive
electrical charge) and
attracts the negatively
charged paint particles in
the paint bath.

Cathodic
In cathodic electrocoating, the workpiece is made the cathode (a negative charge) and attracts
the positively charged paint particles
Uses
Today the electrocoat industry serves much more than the automotive market. It is specified
before wet coatings and powder coating because of the tremendous advantages in application
techniques, efficiency, automation and environmental compliance.
Anodic type coatings are mainly used for products in interior or moderate exterior
environments. Anodic coatings are economical systems that offer excellent colour and gloss
control.
Low cure anodic epoxy coatings that have high corrosion resistance in exterior applications
are used for agricultural implements, automotive parts and structural steel.

http://www.coatfab.com/e-coat.htm

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Coatings and Fabrication

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Anodic acrylic coatings provide good colour and gloss control. They are economical and
used for interior applications such as metal office furniture, air diffusers, shelving, wire
screens and hangers.
Cathodic coatings are mainly high-performance coatings with excellent corrosion
resistance and can be formulated for exterior durability.
Cathodic epoxy coatings provide good chemical and corrosion resistance and are used for
automotive parts, transformer and appliances.
Cathodic acrylic electrocoatings have high UV durability, corrosion resistance and good
colour control. They are used for lawn and garden furniture, agricultural implements, and
automotive wheels and trim appliances.
Advantages of Electrocoat
The major advantage of electrocoat over most other systems is its covering ability. It
provides total coverage of complex-shaped parts with film uniformity. All recessed areas
and sharp edges can be covered and it provides excellent film uniformity and precise film
build control without sags, runs or drips. Thickness is easily controlled using simple
voltage adjustment. Also, parts can be assembled prior to coating.
Electrocoating lines can be highly automated, closed-loop systems with excellent
productivity and low operating costs so no direct labour is required. It allows for high
productivity with fast line speeds and high part-racking densities. Parts pass very quickly
through the production line, resulting in lower unit costs. The process has high transfer
efficiency, approaching 100%, with low energy requirements since no drying or flash-off
time is required. Minimal exhaust and air make-up is needed as well as reduced cure times
and temperatures.
Electrocoat systems are low maintenance with minimal hook cleaning and no "booth"
maintenance. Insurance rates are minimal because there are no specific fire or health
hazards.
There are a number of environmental advantages to electrocoating as well. Electrocoating
emits low or zero VOCs and HAPs. Operators are not required to wear any special
personal protection. The system is totally enclosed and has low air and wastewater
emissions. The process produces minimal solid waste and since it is a closed-loop system
it minimises water loss. As a waterborne system, fire hazards are reduced.
Properties
In general electrocoats can provide high gloss; good colour control; weatherability; barrier,
corrosion, chemical and stain resistance; chip resistance; good edge coverage and
hardness. They are FDA-Approved and have no effect on flavour.
Cathodic acrylic electrocoats can provide the best combination of corrosion resistance,
exterior durability (high UV resistance) and colour control. In the appliance market singlecoat white cathodic acrylic can replace previous applications of primer and topcoat,
leading to economic advantages for the end user. New low-VOC and HAPS-free acrylics
are in the marketplace, targeted at high-performance applications with improved
environmental characteristics.
A two-coat electrocoat process is available for extreme performance environments. The
first coat is a conductive epoxy electrocoat, which, when baked, provides a surface that
can receive a second coat of acrylic electrocoat. The two-coat system is capable of
providing long-term exterior durability and corrosion resistance in excess of 2,000 salt
spray hours.
Wet coatings and powder coatings have a tendency to flow away from sharp edges while
still in the liquid phase so that corrosion protection of objects such as body panel edges
and fins on radiators has proven difficult. Advances in cathodic epoxy electrocoat
formulations have resulted in the ability to control film thickness over sharp objects,
greatly enhancing corrosion resistance.

http://www.coatfab.com/e-coat.htm

29-04-2014