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Coating Application Success Stories

The DECC Company has developed and delivered coating solutions to many different problems our customers have presented to us over the years. Below is just a small sample of how our innovation and expertise in the coatings industry has solved challenges unique to our customers and their products.

 

  

Demanding Quality Standards Are No Match for the DECC Company

The Challenge: A manufacturer in the Aerospace/Avionics industry sought out DECC for a solution to coating issues they were facing with their current coating applicator. The part giving their current supplier troubles was an intricately designed aluminum piece that held shells for a fighter plane, capable of firing 1000 rounds in less than five seconds. The aluminum was anodized before the coating application, which presented two problems. The first was the extreme difficulty in prepping the part for coating while maintaining the integrity of the anodized surface. The second was that, due to the coating application coming after the part being anodized, any quality defects could not be reworked and would need to be scrapped after a hefty investment was already made in the product. Adding to the precarious scenario was the extremely stringent military standards that had to be met. After their customer's current supplier ruined over $10,000 worth of product, they came to Decc for help.

The Solution: After carefully assessing the situation and potential solution, DECC took action. DECC purchased alternative aluminum oxide to prep the surface of the parts in our blasters without damaging the anodized surface. After building a test window that coated 99% of the part well, Decc determined an alternative application process with the parts sitting on a tray would be more effective.

The Result: As a result of DECC'S problem solving and troubleshooting capabilities, the new application process coated parts perfectly while meeting demanding quality specification required. Also, not only was Decc able to provide a higher quality product without the unnecessary worry of scrapping expensive in-process material, they were able to do it for less than the previous supplier.

 

  

DECC Saves Company Money by Being an Everything-In-One Solution

The Challenge: A military manufacturer required a coating application for a fuel shut-off valve that refueled military helicopters and prevented fuel leakage disasters. As the part would be subjected to the harshest environments - deserts, sand and cold altitudes - meeting stringent quality specifications was of the utmost importance. Not only were exact coating standards needed, the part also required a Class A grade surface after the coating application. The manufacturer, who had a history with DECC, knew they would be up to the challenge.

The Solution: DECC applied an abrasion resistant coating with excellent release properties to ensure that not only was the part durable, it would not seize up when operated. DECC also developed a post production buffing process to ensure the surface was entirely flawless.

The Result: DECC proved their ability to meet the most demanding quality specifications yet again. Not only that, but they also saved their customer significant money by developing a post production process in their own facility for fabricating a Class A surface, meaning their customer would not have to outsource the part for additional production operations.

 

  

DECC Provides Customer a Solution to Problem that Half the Country Could Not

The Challenge: A California manufacturer of medical instruments was in a dire situation. The part causing them issues was used during open heart surgery and applied directly the a patient's heart, keeping the heart beating but paralyzing the area it was connected to, allowing the surgeon to operate. The surface of the part had to be prepped and cleaned, an adhesive coating applied in less than one ten thousandth of an inch thickness, and then measured to make sure it met quality standards. Any variation in coating thickness could result in failure of the plastic over the molding bonding to the device, ultimately causing the instrument to not perform correctly during surgery.  Every coating applicator they contacted struggled to apply the adhesive coating consistently, struggled to prep the surface properly without damaging the integrity of the part, or lacked the proper equipment capable of measuring the demanding tolerances.  As they could not find an applicator in California that was capable of coating their product, the manufacturer literally began moving east across the United States in search of an one that could. They made it more than half way across the country before they discovered the DECC Company.

The Solution: Due to DECC's expertise in rack masking abilities, they engineered a unique fixture design for racking the parts. DECC purchased an ultrasonic cleaner for and a Back Scatter eddy current device capable of measuring the demanding tolerances.

The Result: In a short matter of time, DECC was processing parts, something no other coating applicator their customer had approached was capable of doing. Not only was DECC processing parts, but they were producing high quality parts with consistent results. With an ingenious  engineering group and an R & D staff with almost 50 years of coating experience, their customer had found the solution they were looking for: the DECC Company.

 

  

Customer Capable of Coating Their Own Parts Turns to DECC to Ensure a Quality Product

The Challenge: A food production company needed their large food dies applied with a high release, FDA approved coating to sticking during production. The problem was that that the water-based coating needed to be applied in an extremely precise manner so the entire substrate was covered, but not over-coated as it would blister during curing, ultimately ruining the part and costing significant money to rework. Another challenge was that the coating had to be hand sprayed as the dies were too big for robotic application. With a reputation of succeeding in the face of adversity, they came to DECC for help.

The Solution: By applying the coating in their R & D department, one of the largest in the industry, DECC was able to meet all necessary quality requirements without interrupting the larger production schedule of the plant. A key to the application success was DECC's highly skilled coating applicators. With nearly 50 years of coating application experience between the two, they were able to coat the dies with efficiency and quality that paralleled any robotic application. 

The Result: DECC's customer was supplied a quality coated die at significant savings due to not having to find an applicator with a robotic system capable of coating the parts. Their customer still sends dies to DECC to be coated, despite the fact the customer has now set up a coating operation at their facility for this specific application, as they know DECC can ensure a quality product every time that won't need rework.

 

  

Coating Solution Eliminates Warranty Issues and Extends Life of Product

The Challenge: An office furniture manufacturer was plating the vertical riser for office chairs with traditional plating and then greasing. The traditional grease lubricants used would attract dust and dirt, ultimately acting like an abrasive compound. As a result, the up and down cycling and the side to side movement of the chair would become inconsistent and wear our prematurely, often having to be replaced under warranty.

The Solution: As the combination of plating and then greasing the part was actually the root cause of the problem, DECC had to develop a solution that eliminated these variables. DECC applied an abrasive resistant, Teflon loaded release coating. Utilizing our state of the art electrostatic spray equipment, DECC was able to control a uniform thickness from top to bottom (12" to 18" lengths) and around the whole diameter (2") of .3 to .8 mils.

The Result: After 100,000 cycles under a load simulation to determine effectiveness of the coating application, the test fixture was turned off. Although the coating did exhibit some wear, the chair performance was not adversely affected. As a result of DECC's creative problem solving, our customer has saved tremendous amounts of money by eliminating warranty issues while changing their customer's negative image of the company due to a poor quality product.

 

  

DECC Comes to the Rescue with a Coating Solution That Allows Automaker to Meet Their New Truck Launch Deadline

The Challenge: A non domestic auto supplier discovered a failure mode during cold cycle testing, which would have prevented the launch of a new truck, just two months before the deadline. In cold weather, ice buildup would cause the rear lift gate from working properly. In need of a quick and cost efficient solution, they turned to the DECC Company.

The Solution: DECC applied a low cure phenolic resin with PTFE release properties with an electrostatic coating application to the various latch components.

The Result: The coating DECC determined as the best solution created a hydroscopic condition that prevented ice from sticking to the plated surfaces of the latch components, ultimately allowing the rear lift gate to function the same in all atmospheric conditions. But most importantly, DECC's quick thinking and prompt response allowed the program to be launched on time.

 

   

New Coating Application Helps a Diesel Industry Customer Meet Critical EPA Requirements While Saving Money

The Challenge: A large diesel manufacturer approached DECC with a significant challenge: they needed the inside of a valve in their over-the-road engine powder-coated to protect from corrosion as a result of new EPA requirements. As it was, powder-coating aluminum castings was their best option to deal with the corrosive byproduct caused by these new regulations. Not to be deterred, DECC jumped at the opportunity to showcase their problem solving capabilities.

The Solution: After various tests, DECC approached the customer with an alternative wet coat solution that could be applied to aluminum. DECC ran parallel studies with both the wet coat and powder coat to demonstrate its effectiveness. DECC's ingenuity and vast knowledge of coatings and their applications paid off. The diesel manufacturer, which had already specified the powder, changed to DECC's alternative solution.

The Result: As a result, the customer saved a significant amount of money over the course of the program for various reasons. The powder coat option could not be reworked while the wet coat solution could, saving money as a result of not having to scrap parts. In turn, the powder coat also made it difficult to meet the tight quality standards necessary as the coating migrated while processing, which increased rejects. However, the wet coat was easier to process and meet the demanding quality standards, ultimately lowering scrap costs even more from where they would have been. The wet coat solution allowed for the use of lighter and less exotic metals, such as casted aluminum instead of stainless steel, lowering their material and machining costs. The use of lighter metals also contributed to a longer life for the engine components. DECC and their customer worked together to install a new, state of the art robotic application line for the new process, which was implemented under budget, as well.

 

   

Coating Solution Significantly Reduces Quality Issues and Downtime for Tire Manufacturer

The Challenge: A tire manufacturer was having problems with a rubber compound sticking to Bead Rings, causing quality problems and excessive cleaning time between cycles. They were also dealing with an issue resulting from extruded rubber making contact with a 4' x 8' panel of thin aluminum, ultimately causing an uneven folding pattern because the rubber would often stick and collect at the end of the panel.

The Solution: After careful analysis, a coating option for each issue was determined. DECC coated the Bead Rings with a PTFE/FEP dry film lubricant with excellent release and abrasive resistance qualities. DECC determined the best option for the aluminum panels was a two component, phenolic low cure PTFE resin coating which lowered the friction coefficient.

The Result: After the Bead Rings were coated, quality issues decreased dramatically and downtime from excessive cleaning was virtually eliminated. The coating application worked so well for the aluminum panels by eliminating rubber buildup and quality issues, DECC ended up coating all the panels in their customer's facility. At last report, which was over a year ago, the coated panels were still performing well.

 

 

Glass Manufacturer Uses Teflon Release Coatings on Shoots and Columns to Reduce Costs by a Significant Margin

The Challenge: A glass manufacturer was faced with a problem in which the industrial machinery they used to deliver molten glass to their forming tools was failing prematurely. As it stood, the manufacturer was re-coating these shoots and columns every other day. Although the two-part epoxy coating they were using initially worked well by reducing friction, it did not last long. Not only was there the added cost of constantly coating the tooling, the degradation contributed to variation and quality issues as rates of delivery slowed to the forming tool, ultimately increasing scrap costs and downtime, as well. Realizing they were literally throwing money away at an alarming rate, they turned to the DECC Company for help.

The Solution: DECC assessed the problem and determined the coating the manufacturer was using was incapable of withstanding the high temperatures of the molten glass. As a solution, they applied a Teflon release coating that had a high continuous operating temperature capability.

The Result: After delivery of developmental samples, the manufacturer was able to re-use the equipment after a five-day production run which was, according to a company representative, "unheard of." At last report, the coated shoots were going strong after five weeks of continuous use and DECC was very excited to be a part of a collaborative effort that saved their customer significant money and time while improving the quality of their product.

 

EGR Manufacturer Uses Emralon 310 on Sticky Silicone Rubber to Prevent Field Failure

The Challenge: A manufacturer of an Electronic Gas Regulator (EGR) encountered a problem that was unanticipated during production and testing phases of a new part. In order for the part to detect fume leakage, a sticky, floro-silicone rubber had to seal tight against a plastic component. However, the sticky rubber attracted dust and contaminants that prevented a consistent seal, ultimately resulting in failure of the part.

The Solution: To solve the problem, DECC developed a tumble spray application utilizing a two-part, low cure, Teflon release coating (Emralon 310). The method applied the coating in an even and consistent wet out pattern while maintaining the integrity of the part.

The Result: Once coated, the rubber was no longer sticky, which prevented contaminates from adhering to the rubber and allowed a proper seal between the rubber and soft plastic. DECC's quick thinking and creativity allowed for an inexpensive solution to an issue that could have cost their customer a significant amount of money in the long run had the part gone to production and failed in the field.

 

At the DECC Company, we will work with your engineers to help develop a coating solution that is right for your challenge. Contact us about our achievements with fuel cell coatings, thermal barrier coatings and other specialized applications. We know we can help solve your coating or performance problem.


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