The following list of equipment and supplies are beneficial additions to any coating shop no matter the size of the operation.
Mil Thickness Gauge
Achieving proper coating thickness is an important part of the coating process. Each manufacturer has a target or recommended mil thickness range for their product. Not meeting that target range can make a vast difference in not only coating appearance, but also performance. Mil thickness gauges are used to determine the depth of coating thickness and are an invaluable tool for the novice and seasoned professional alike for troubleshooting potential issues. Costs vary widely from under $100 to thousands of dollars.
Infrared Temperature Gun
In order to know when to start your curing or batch timer, you must know what the part temp is. A very handy tool we recommend is an Infrared or IR temperature gun. Being able to quickly shoot the part to determine the temperature eliminates the guess work and allows you to more accurately determine your total required bake time. It can also come in handy for troubleshooting issues as well.
Masking Supplies
The ability to mask off or plug areas to be kept free from powder is key to creating a clean professional looking finish. Prismatic Powders has a line of high temp masking tape and silicone plug kits to keep you covered.
Fluidizer
Check out our fluidizer video demo
A fluidizer is a hopper that uses supplied air to provide aeration to dry powder, creating a fluidized bed of powder from which the spray gun draws from via a pump. This aids in the overall spray-ability. Every powder has a different formulation that can affect how it sprays. Metallic powders are one such example. The metallic particles in the powder mixture are heavier which can cause them to settle, creating and uneven looking finish. Unlike box feed systems, a fluidizer works to keep the metallic evenly suspended, making it easy to maintain consistency throughout the finish. Fluidizers are available in various capacities, from a few pounds to over one hundred pounds. Given these attributes, fluidizers offer many benefits with virtually no drawbacks.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
It is generally recommended that you wear a respirator while powder coating. While powder coatings are non-VOC materials, it's best not to breathe the dust from powder coating. We prefer the 3M 8210V N95 disposable or the 3M 7500 Series Half Mask.
Powder free nitrile or latex gloves are good to have on hand in case you need to handle a part after pre-treatment has been done. This helps keep the oils from your skin from coming into contact with the part. The gloves will also help protect your hands when coming into contact with harsh cleaners. Just remember to remove them before coating, if not you may experience a shock from the gun.