Powder coating is one of the most popular finishing techniques available for metal, plastics, and other materials. It is durable, cost-effective, and versatile.
Choosing a powder coating solution over paint is often an easy decision for fabrication and manufacturing companies, but businesses must make another decision before they invest in a system. They must choose a manual or automated powder coating solution. An automated powder coating line offers many advantages for companies that need to keep pace with quick turnaround times without sacrificing quality.
Manual powder coating spray booths allow workers to manually prep, coat, dry, and cure items in batches. They work well for the occasional powder coating project, but they can’t keep up with the demands of large-scale production. Automated powder coating lines, on the other hand, act as a production line for the powder paint process. Each round of coating pulls a new batch of items into the production line to speed up the overall output time.
Benefits of an automated powder coating line include:
Automated powder coating lines use conveyor systems to transition parts from stage to stage of the automated system. Companies can choose to automate all or part of the powder coating process for better control and quality assurance. Some businesses need to manually control part of the process to accommodate customer requests. Automated systems setups can accommodate both routine production demands and improve turnaround times for special requests.
Traditional spray booths can only move a limited number of parts through the process. Automation takes the legwork out of the process for better efficiency across the board.
Powder coating offers more uniform results than paint regardless of the application method. Automated systems can offer slightly more uniform results in some cases, because each batch sits in the same position and receives the same treatment at each stage of the process. Manual powder coating activities can result in skipped steps or missed coating areas.
Many manual powder coating booths operate with a spray-to-waste system. The excess powder is not reclaimable and leads to unnecessary wastefulness. Automated powder coating lines with powder reclamation systems can almost eliminate waste from the coating process.
Automated powder coating lines may cost a little more than manual systems upfront, but they can save money over time. Companies can use automated systems to reduce the number of professionals needed to maintain powder coating output levels. Companies that save money on reclaimed powder, improved uptime, and fewer quality control issues often pass along these benefits to the customer in the form of faster turnaround times, improved performance, and improved value.
Powder coating is a great way to ensure uniformity among products and eliminate the health hazards associated with conventional painting methods. Modern businesses must consider their output needs, budget, and application to determine if an automatic powder coating line can deliver a better ROI than a small-scale manual system.
As powder-coating applications take the finishing industry by storm, clients are coming to Richards-Wilcox Conveyor for help designing, integrating and reconfiguring their own finishing lines.
These clients have a lot of questions about powder coating. But there’s one we’ve been hearing more than any other:
“When designing a powder-coating line, should I invest in a manual batch-type system or an automated line?”
The answer isn’t as clear-cut as you might think. In fact, it all depends on your workflow, your volume, your budget, and your floorspace.
Let’s take a closer look.
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For those who don’t know, a manual batch-type system is the more hands-on variety of powder-coating production line. In batch systems, operators begin by manually preparing parts, moving items from one device to another using carts or a manually operated conveyor. Once a batch of parts is ready, it is then coated and cured.
As the name suggests, an automated line automates this process. Rather than using human labor to prepare batches of parts, an automated conveyor system continuously moves individual parts through the entire process, from prep and drying to application, curing and cooling.
So, which is better: manual batch or automated?
The truth is that neither system is inherently better—both have their benefits and drawbacks. One is more efficient, while the other is more flexible. One is more expensive, while the other is more labor-intensive.
How do you find the right system for you? Start by considering these four factors.
In general, automated lines are best suited to coating higher volumes of parts, as long as those parts have consistent sizes and shapes. If you’re coating thousands of similarly sized parts per shift, automated is probably the right fit.
Batch systems are typically slower than their automated counterparts, but they’re also more versatile. While automated systems must be reconfigured to account for irregularly shaped parts, manual systems don’t. It may be more efficient to go manual if you’re working with lower volumes of irregular parts.
Manual systems typically require fewer components – for example, one oven can be used to both dry and cure parts – which makes them a good fit for businesses with limited floorspace.
However, just because you’re tight on space doesn’t mean an automated line is impossible. Richards-Wilcox Conveyor has worked with clients to make automated lines fit in surprisingly limited spaces.
Manual batch systems are generally slower than automated. If your powder-coating system outpaces the manufacturing process, then that may not be an issue. But if your powder coating process is delaying output, then you may need to speed things up with automation.
Automated lines can be designed for rapid throughput, creating a constant flow of parts to keep pace with other manufacturing processes. If you need speed, go automated.
Manual batch-types systems are typically seen as the budget-friendly alternative to automated lines. The upfront cost of manual systems is significantly less; and although they require more human labor, their maintenance costs and operating costs are often much lower.
Then again, the relative efficiency of a system all depends on the other three factors we listed here. If your system is operating at full capacity, producing thousands of products per shift and keeping pace with your other manufacturing processes, an automated line may be necessary to help you meet production goals.
Whether it’s a smaller manual operation or a large-scale automated line, Richards-Wilcox can create a system that maximizes your efficiency and helps your business achieve its goals.
From designing layouts and installing conveyors to integrating robotics and automation, we leverage decades of experience and key partnerships to create the right solution for your needs.
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