Centreville Expands Coating Capabilities
News Release: September 28, 2011
Centreville, Maryland
We match up well with customers that want high quality and heavy duty products. We have invested heavily in improving our coatings capabilities.
This metal prep area was added this summer. Shown is the wet media blast machine that removes rust and mill scale. Also shown is the washwater recycle plant that treats up to 900 gallons of washwater from the 3 phase hot water high pressure washer used to clean and phosphate treat bare steel prior to coating. The drain in the foreground is equipped with a motorized auger that moves the solids from the drain into a hopper that allows us to recycle media if wanted. We use crushed glass as media when possible to help the environment.
We now offer the following services and coating options for our production customers:
Metal Preparation
Hot Dip Galvanizing
Powder Coat
Powder Coating over Hot Dip Galvanizing
Wet Painting
Metal Preparation
For customers that want the best coating possible, cleaning the metal is maybe more important than the coating itself. Metals become dirty, oily or even slightly rusty in the process of having it delivered, unloaded, cut, sheared, bent and welded.
- We use a 3500 psi 4 GPM power washer to remove grit. The washer has a propane burner that heats the water to 180 degrees F for removing oils and greasy fingerprints. A chemical injector allows us to apply soap during this wash process.
- Media Blasting is used for our most demanding customers to remove mill scale and any hard surfaces from the steel such as weld slag, weld splatters or flash rusting. We installed a closed loop prep area that allows us to "wet blast" the metal and contain the solids and liquids.
- For powder coated parts, we apply an iron phosphate wash treatment that enhances the "grip" of the powder to the metal underneath. The phosphate wash includes additives that prevent flash rusting after the metal dries.
 Photo of Mill Scale on new steel. The scale is loose and will eventually scrape or flake off. Blasting is the only effective way to remove mill scale. |
 This photo shows the future. Bleed thru of rust will occur after a few years, even if primered and painted. Mill Scale caused the rust process. |
 Steel can acquire a light rust film, oil spots and finger prints during fabrication. |
Hot water + high pressure spray removes loose dirt and oils with high pressure detergent injection. |
Hot Dip Galvanizing
Here are samples of jobs we have done for customers who realize the value of this coating. Galvanizing is by far the best coating that we are aware of. A fabricated steel product that we make is dipped in a series of acid wash and cleaning baths, then finally into 800 degree liquid zinc. This coating will allow a product to look good without corrosion even after 10 years!!
 This trailer fleet was made for an Electric Utility that is NEVER busy in good weather conditions. |
 Galvanizing is perfect for harsh corrosive conditions like this salt spreading machine. |
Powder Coating
We offer powder coating for items able to fit inside our 15'H x 15' W x 25' deep oven. Powder is electrostatically "sprayed" onto prepared clean metal surfaces, and then baked in an oven to approximately 400 degrees.
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After the steel reaches the proper temperature, it literally melts into and onto the steel surface. After drying, powder coating offers a very durable tough finish on a metal surface.
 Powder coating is a tough finish; better suited to rough treatment in the field. It looks good too!. |
 This military generator we made used an olive drab powder coat color with a flat finish on aluminum. |
Powder Coating over Hot Dip Galvanizing
This is the best finish combination available. The galvanized coating protects from corrosion, and the powder coat layer makes your product look good or conform to corporate color schemes. This satellite communication trailer will see a variety of conditions in any part of the world, but it will always look good.
Wet Painting
Wet painting provides the best economy in a coating. We continue to wet spray paint many of our products.
The steel is prepared and sprayed with a non-lifting, alkyd industrial grade primer in gray, black or white color depending on the final color of the top coat. The top coat of paint is two part polyurethane. The term "two part" means that the paint is mixed with a hardener catalyst just prior to spraying over the primer. The paint will cure (harden) in place, making a tough, durable good looking finish made for outdoor storage in all weather conditions.
You have many choices when you are shopping for fabricated machinery or trailers. If you demand a high quality finish that will last a long time, we want you to include us in the few companies that offer that extra dimension.