7 Step Powder Coating Process on WESTERN® Snowplows [VIDEO]

The ULTRAFINISH^™ baked-on powder coat with epoxy primer is standard on all WESTERN^® plows, providing outstanding protection against wear and rust. There are seven crucial steps to the process in order to get the perfect powder-coated blades, components, and mounts.

Our powder coating line does around two full rotations daily. Put yourself in the shoes of a WESTERN blade, below are the seven stages the product goes through before being ready to be packaged and shipped out.

• STEP 1: SHOT BLASTING
  Each WESTERN plow goes through an eight-wheel shot blaster treatment process. In this step, small steel shot media is projected at the product from eight wheels to clean off the surface of the metal and to give the product a bit of texture to help with powder adhesion.

• STEP 2: 9-STAGE WASH SYSTEM
  The product then goes through multiple wash tanks to wash off any remaining dust or debris after the shot blaster to ensure there are no contaminants on the product before powder coating.

• STEP 3: DRY OFF OVEN
  The next step is for the parts to pass through the convection oven, this oven runs at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This oven dries off the product after the wash cycle in preparation for primer coating.

• STEP 4: PRIMER COAT
  A powder-coated paint primer is applied. This provides the bulk of the corrosion resistance for our products. Stationary guns at the beginning of the powder coating booth cover the majority of the product while an additional painter is at the end to cover any missed areas

• STEP 5: INFRARED OVEN BAKE
  The infrared oven allows the powder coat to cure, which essentially melts and solidifies onto the product.

• STEP 6: TOP COAT
  The product then passes through the red topcoat or black topcoat powder booth and a layer of powder is applied over the primer. The same process as the primer coating stage is repeated with the ULTRAFINISH baked-on final powder coat.

• STEP 7: FINAL CURE OVEN
  The final step in the process is the cure oven. The products are carried through another convection oven at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit where they spend about 25 minutes curing to ensure outstanding protection against wear and rust.

Watch the process in action!