Finally got my Poison Spyder Crusher Fender Flares on order and once they arrive, I will be getting them powder coated black to match. The question is, do i just go glossy black or do i get the glossy black and have them clear over it? I worry that there may be too much orange peel with them glossing over it, but wonder if the clear over the powder coat adds more protection...
Does anyone have experience getting orange peel out of powder coat? Can that even be done? If it can't, I will ask them not to clear over the glossy black. I will attach a picture of both samples . The larger is with clear over glossy black and has a ton of orange peel.
*side note: the fenders won't be scratched like these samples, These were getting tossed around in my jeep and I even took a key to the larger sample to see how strong it is. lol
Orange peeling normally occurs due to some external factor- most of the time dealing with either the outside air temperature or the temp of the working surface. It can also occur as a result of the coating process applied at too high a pressure. Other factors include the working surface not properly prepped, or the use of chemicals to prep the working surface have caused some pitting or created an uneven surface. Personally, I'm not a fan of the clear coat because it tends to show off the orange peeling a little more.
Near the end of my Navy career we were powder coating a lot more working surfaces of equipment rather than painting. Even under the best conditions sometimes there's no getting away from a little texturing of the surface. I mean, check out this list of possibilities from PCI (Power Coating Institute), probably the country's foremost expert in the process and even certifies PC professionals and companies:
Many things can cause orange peel defects. Here’s a list of common possible caused and what you can try to fix them:
The heat up cycle of your parts is too slow. In this case, determine the heat up curve and increase accordingly. Parts with high wall thickness are especially susceptible.
Your substrate temperature exceeds the melt temperature, causing excessive film build. Try checking the substrate temperature (maximum should be 40ºC/104ºF). If it’s higher than the melt temperature, increase the cool down phase.
There has been a shift in particle size distribution and the portion of your reclaimed powder is too high. To fix, optimize deposit results of powder guns or increase lift intervals.
Your film thickness is too high or too low. Check system parameters to determine whether this is the case.
The powder coatings being used are incompatible. Check the booth and consult the powder manufacturer to ensure this is not the case.
The powder has been store too long or it has pre-reacted. To fix this, check the storage time. If powder is too old, exchange with fresher powder.
The voltage you’re using is too high. To fix this, optimize the voltage or change to low ionizing applications or tribo guns. Tribo guns charge particles by frictional contact with material inside the gun body, as opposed to the more widely used corona charging, which uses the power supply to charge particles. Tribo charging provides excellent faraday cage application.
You’re seeing uneven wall thickness. To correct, optimize the oven temperature.
You’re experiencing back ionization effect. Try reducing the voltage or increase the distance between the workpiece and the gun.
The airspeed at the oven entrance could be too high. In this case, reduce airspeed (it should be no more than 0.5m/sec or 1.5 ft/sec) or change air flow guides.
Parts are too hot when coming from the dry-off oven. Try allowing a longer cooler time (less than 40ºC/104ºF for parts.
The preheat temperature is too high. This can be corrected by lowering the preheat temperature or allowing more time for cooling.
The powder flow is too high. To correct, lower the powder feed.
The coating time is too long. To correct, lower the coating time.
The part geometry is difficult or unfavorable. In this case, try changing the hanging or gun configuration.
The gun and part are too close together. Try increasing the gun-to-part distance.
After curing, it is important to always complete a visual check within the standard film thickness and compare it to the master panel of the finished product. Make sure it follows the PCI smoothness standards as a guideline.
