E-Coating
SPL reintroduces service thanks to new facility.
Surface Processing Limited (SPL) is once again offering its electrophoretic, or e-coating, service to Mini owners. SPL’s previous factory was closed last year, but now it has secured exclusive access to a more modern, military-grade facility. The plant is the only type of its kind in the UK, and is flexible enough to take anything from individual panels to a full bodyshell.
E-coating gives a durable finish that is used by 90 per cent of car manufacturers to prevent rust. SPL’s process involves fully immersing the bodyshell in a range of cleaning and phosphating solutions before putting it into the 55,000-litre paint tank, which is kept at 33 degrees Celsius. Once submerged, a current of around 400 volts is passed through the tank, causing the paint to uniformly bond to the shell.
The 11-stage process takes a day to complete and is preceded by a full chemical clean and rinse to optimise rust inhibition. After e-coating, the car is rinsed with a low molecular resin solution and oven cured at 185 degrees Celsius, driving out moisture before waxes, seals and final paint are applied.
Prices start at £2634, including the final chemical clean. Contact 01382 242010 or see www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk.
Posted on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 at 10:10 am under News. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
