The Effects of Humid Conditions
As winter begins to release its grip on the US and Canada, the more pleasant weather does create a unique challenge to coaters everywhere; the management of humidity in your shop. Conditions can be more challenging depending upon the region in which you do business and if you coat with solvent or water-based Teflon® coatings. If humid conditions persist, these coatings can pull in moisture from the air and trap the moisture on your coated part prior to curing. Once cured, the trapped moisture in the coating can affect adhesion to the substrate, intra-coat adhesion failure (between multiple coats), and create a bad appearance, such as staining.
There are several solutions to try and mitigate the effects of humidity in your coating facility. One possible solution is to plan the application of your coatings during less humid hours of the day; like early morning or late afternoon. Another, more costly solution would be to beef up the humidity management in your shop. The solution most commonly used is to preheat your part to 150°F-175°F prior to coating. After this pre-heating step, spray the part as soon as possible. This will greatly help minimize any effects the humidity can have in your coating process.
Additionally, be mindful of the environment where your parts are stored and check that the parts are not “sweating” prior to coating. If you spray these sweating parts, the moisture will become trapped under the coating. If you find your parts are sweating, use the pre-heating method mentioned above to remove the moisture prior spraying.
Here’s to a great remainder of spring and an even better summer!
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