Inovatec Machinery“Your one stop destination for alloy wheel powder coating solutions.”

Frequently Asked Questions on Powder Coating Oven for Wheels

If you are considering buying a powder coating oven, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about it.

1. What is a powder coating oven for wheels?

A powder coating oven for wheels is a powder curing oven used for powder-coated wheels. It is a process of adding colored powder to wheels through electrostatics. After repairing a wheel, some parts would have lost their color. Instead of wet-painting the wheels, you can use the powder coating oven to apply the powder coating.

The oven has a reliable control system and can be easily operated. The oven’s outer casing is made of high-quality steel. Its good thermal insulation is due to the thermal insulation material that fills the inner and outer casing. It has an inner liner made of a galvanized plate to prevent the inner parts from rusting, and its body and outer door are made of silicone.

It has a heating unit at the bottom of the oven and an air system that allows uniform circulation of heat in the system. The oven uses electric charges to refinish the powder coating on the wheel. The charge makes it easy for the wheel to have a smooth and polished finish.

2. Why do you need an oven to powder coat?

Powder coating a wheel after finishing it is an alternative to painting it. The process is also known as curing. You need an oven to cure a powder coating because you need to subject the wheels to a temperature of 350 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, which you must sustain for at least twenty minutes without temperature fluctuation.

Using any other heating method apart from an oven might not give the required stable and all-encompassing temperature to cure the wheel’s powder coating. Also, the procedure needs heat through convention to prevent direct contact with heating coils and coated objects, which the oven can achieve perfection.

The oven also uses an electrostatic process to ground the powder particles, giving them enough time to dry during the curing process. The electrostatic process ensures a smooth result and finishing.

The oven also traps the air during the curing process, preventing contaminants from getting on the wheels before the process is over. The vent system does this in the oven.

3. How hot is a powder coating oven?

A powder coating oven can reach and sustain a temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes. The powder coating oven usually has a digital controller to show the heat it can reach. Some powder coating ovens have a maximum temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In comparison, some go over to a little above 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. How long does powder coating last on rims?

Using powder coating on wheels is known to make the coating very durable. If the wheels are adequately maintained, they can last up to 20 years. Its durability is about three times more than painted wheel finishes. When a wheel is powder coated, the finish is very hard, meaning it has more resistance to chemicals, chips, moisture, scratches, and UV light than other finish types.

However, powder-coated finishes are not untouchable; they can still be affected by abrasion and brake dust. One of the significant causes of damage on a powder-coated wheel is scratching. Powder-coated wheels are not scratch-resistant. Stone chips might not cause much damage; the degree of damage depends on the force of impact.

Brake dust can also be corrosive to the wheel. Over time as brake dust builds on the wheel’s surface, it becomes more corrosive and eats into the finishing,

eventually causing irreversible damage. It is also the same with road salt, which accumulates and remains on the finish causing damage through the corrosive process.

Lastly, even though the finishing has high chemical resistance, highly acidic or alkaline chemicals can affect the finish. These chemicals can be found in harsh wheel cleaners.

Here are some essential exercises to ensure the wheels last for more than two decades.

•   Clean the wheels regularly: To prevent the build-up of road salt, brake dust, and other corrosive substances on the powder-coated wheel. When you clean the wheels regularly, you can prevent excess build-up of the corrosive substance, and you will not have to wash with harsh chemicals. Then, to prevent scratches, wash with a soft brush that will not leave dents on the wheels.
•   Use wheel sealant: This is unnecessary if you clean the wheels regularly, but it helps prevent dents due to scratches.

5. Which is better? Powder coating or painting rims?

Powder-coating wheels are a better option than painting rims. Here are some reasons why it is better to powder coat rims rather than paint or use another finishing.

1. Higher Resistance Level

While driving your wheels around, your wheels will come in contact with different chemicals, UV rays, chips, scratches, etc. Regular contact with these substances can cause denting on finishes. However, the powder coating process makes the finishing semi-permanent, so it causes higher resistance to the wheel than other types of finishing.

The heat used in the powder coating process ensures that the paint is ingrained in the wheels, making it a non-porous surface that will not be damaged easily.

2. Durability

After spraying the particles on the wheels during the powder coating process, the oven bakes it at a very high and stable temperature. This makes the coat fuse together and creates a curing process that ensures extra durability. This is why powder-coated wheels have thicker surfaces and a longer life span.

However, since the same stable and high temperature are not employed in painted rims, it can easily let in substances that will cause the paint to fall off.

3. Full coverage

While painting the wheels, you might not be able to reach all corners, not to affect other parts of the vehicle. It gets more complicated if the rims have complex or intricate designs because you can only do so much to ensure all parts are covered in paint. However, powder coating can reach every angle of the rims through electrostatic methods.

After curing, electrostatic binding occurs, allowing the powder to flow through the bonds (electrostatic spray deposition). This allows the powder coating to spread through all rim angles, no matter how complex or intricate the wheel’s features are.

4. Cost Effective

Initially, you will pay more to buy a powder coating oven for wheels ( contact Innovatec to get an instant quote). However, it is more cost-effective if you are thinking long-term. The number of times you will have to recoat your wheels if you do a paint finish will amount to a higher cost than when you do a powder coating once in a decade.

While powder coating wheels, you can utilize all the materials you use. During the painting finishing process, you can see overspray, and some materials can go to waste. However, powder coating does not use solvents that will be over-sprayed or evaporated. So you can be sure nothing is going to waste.

5. Environmentally safe

The paint used in painting rim finishes contains Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs), which is harmful to health when inhaled in large quantities. These VOCs are also harmful to the ozone layer and the environment in general.

With powder coating, you do not have to deal with paint during or after the coating, and any excess powder can be recycled. Excess paints are almost useless for a while and can add to indoor pollution. So, powder coating wheels are safe during and after the finishing process.

6. Time effective

When you paint your wheels, it will take a long while to dry them without a heating system, and with an oven, it will take about an hour. Powder coating the wheels is a dry and curing process that does not need much time to dry the wheels.

Instead of spending several hours to ensure every part of the rim is dry, you can finish the drying process in less than 15 minutes. If you are powder-coating more than one wheel at a time, you can get the powder-coating oven for multiple wheels curing to finish all the wheels at once.

Whether coating one wheel or more, you can finish the powder coating process for all of them in little time. Contact us to get the powder coating oven for multiple wheels.

7. Suitable for different materials

Painting finishes are limited to a few materials. Sometimes, you will need to be careful so that the paint does not affect other parts of the vehicle. However, powder coating wheels can be used for different materials, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and even brass. Some non-metal rims can also be subjected to the powder coating process. Some of the components are glass and fiberboard.

Contact us for an instant quote for a powder coating oven for wheels.

6. Does a powder coat oven need a vent?

An oven needs a proper ventilation system to ensure even heat distribution and receipt of the right amount of temperature at a given time. This is the same way the powder coat oven needs a vent. During the curing process, some cracking products from the powder evaporate. The vent system is allowed in the powder coating oven to ensure these products do not remain in the oven.

Also, to maintain the temperature of the oven (the curing process requires the oven to be at a constant temperature for twenty to thirty minutes), the oven needs a sound air circulation system. If three is not enough air circulation, there will be variations in the curing process results. Some parts of the wheel will be smoother, while others will be thicker.

The vent also has to ensure clean oven intake to prevent contaminants from entering the oven during the curing process. Contaminants in the oven can affect the smoothness of the finishing. The powder coating oven Innovatec sells features a circulation fan that ensures the generated heat reaches all angles in the chambers for a uniform curing process.

Send a message to us to get an instant quote on any powder coating oven for wheels.

7. How much does a new powder coat oven for wheels cost?

A new powder coat oven for wheels can cost as less as $4000 and as much as $10,000. The cost of the oven depends on the type and its features. A small powder curing oven comes with two racks and can contain wheels of 24 inches or less. It costs between $4600 – 5000.

At the same time, a 4-rack powder coating oven design can accommodate four alloy wheels simultaneously; it costs between $5000 and $6500. Also, there is a type of powder coating oven suitable for batch wheel curing. It has a center rack in its chambers and features to hang your wheels.

Another powder coating oven allows you to cure multiple wheels and has a trolley to transport the wheels while maintaining the same quality level. You can request an instant quote from us to know the prices of these wheels.

8. How much does it cost to get your wheel powder coated?

The average cost of powder coating your wheels is between $350 and 700. The price of powder coating your wheels depends on the service provider and your wheel product. But it is cheaper to powder-coat your wheels than get new ones.

If you get a good deal in a local powder coating shop, you can coat each rim for $50, but the quality is not assured. The average powder coating cost is between $60 and $75 per rim. The price of powder coating your rims depends on the wheel’s size, complexity, and coating material. A set of aluminum or steel wheels coating can cost between $400 to $500. In comparison, it can be more expensive for wire wheels. And the bigger the rims, the more expensive the coating.

Also, there might be some extra costs. For example, if the aluminum wheels have been chrome-plated, you might need to give a chrome plater to remove the chrome and nickel chemically. And there can be more cost for shipping if you want it shipped.