Powder Coating Area

The Powder Coating Area within our Metal Shop at Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) consists mostly of Level 2 equipment.

All our Powder Coating Equipment combined occupies about 90 square feet (6'x18'). It is a small but important part of the 5,500 square foot building that we lease.

Additional PPM training is required to use any of our Level 2 equipment.

Powder Coating Area hand tools should be marked with pink tape, paint, or powder coating.

 

Safety First

Members must know the following information:

In case of emergency, call 911.

Our physical location is:

735 East Pikes Peak Avenue

Colorado Springs, CO 80903

use this when ordering pizza or an ambulance

• 

  IN CASE OF
  EMERGENCY
  sign

PPM Fire Escape Plan

Fire Escape Plan maps are posted throughout the Makerspace.

There are 7 fire extinguishers on the fire escape plan map. Review the PPM Fire Escape Plan for locations.

• 

  PPM Emergency
  Evacuation Plan.pdf

• 

  PPM Fire
  Prevention Plan.pdf

• 

  PPM Fire Escape
  Plan

First Aid

There is a FIRST AID Supply Cabinet in our Kitchen Area.

FIRST AID Kits are available in four areas: the Kitchen, Metal Shop, Wood Shop and CNC Room.

• 

  FIRST AID
  Supply Cabinet

• 

  FIRST AID
  Kit

Eye Wash Stations

Emergency Eye & Face Wash Stations are mounted in four areas: the Kitchen, Wood Shop, CNC Room and Vented Room.

• 

  Emergency
  Eye & Face Wash
  Station

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wear protective equipment in all Wood and Metal Shop Areas.

Wear gloves when using Isopropyl Alcohol and other cleaners.

• 

  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Hazardous Chemicals

All hazardous chemicals must be stored in the yellow hazardous chemical storage cabinet located in the Vented Room.

Review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information of unknown products before use.

SDS information is available via the QR code on the hazardous chemical storage cabinet or this spreadsheet.

Do not bring dangerous chemicals to the makerspace.

Spray paint, stains, and other approved items must be stored in the hazardous chemical storage cabinet in the Vented Room.

Please DO NOT paint indoors.

• 

  Flammables Cabinet
  in the Vented Room

Impairment

The use of PPM equipment requires you to be alert, attentive, and focused.

Do not use any PPM work area, or any PPM tools, if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

 

Classes and Training

Area Leader — Quinn Hackenberg

To help out in the Powder Coating Area contact the Area Leader on Slack.

Classes

PPM announces all its Upcoming events, including classes, on Meetup

Training

Max part size to powder coat is 36"x45"x91"

Part prep

• Remove anything off the part that can’t handle 400°F
• Part must be clean and degreased to prevent contamination of media
• Sandblasting part first gives more grip for the powder to stick to and last longer
• If the part has been sandblasted, bake the part in the oven at 180°F until the part reaches temp to degas and discharge part. Then allow to cool.
• Tape anything off with high temp tape (PET, Kapton, Fiberglass) that you don’t want to be powered coated
• Once the part is cleaned and discharged do not touch part with your hands

Powder coat gun prep

• Make sure the gun is completely clean by blowing off any powder off and in the gun with air compressor
• Completely clean out all powder from the powder bottle if using a different color
• Only fill bottle 2in, NO MORE. The bottle needs air circulation to work properly.
• Set gun to high voltage for most things for the first coat and use low voltage for very small parts or second coats
• Set gun PSI to 3-5 PSI

Powder coating

• Place part on rack or hang from rack using stainless steel hooks or wire
• Connect ground wire to rack or wire
• Check ground by moving powder coat gun close to part (1-2in) and push power button to verify there electricity aches to the part. If not, adjust ground until you have a strong arch.
• Hold button and spray powder 6-8 inch away in a circular motion around part until the part is evenly coated.
• Start coating the parts that are deep and have 90 degree angles (low voltage may help if it’s not sticking) then coat the rest at high voltage
• Check evenness with led light
• If air from the gun is blowing powder off part PSI is too high
• If the powder is not sticking, the part may have not been cleaned well enough or not discharged enough
• If you mess up or want to restart you can blow off the powder and restart

Baking part

• Preheat oven to the temperature specified for the powder
• Place part in the oven being careful not to knock off any powder from part
• Measure the temp of the part until its at the specified temp for the powder being used (using IR thermometer)
• Once the part has reached temp bake the part for the specified time for the powder being used
• Carefully remove the part from the oven and allow it to cool down before handling
• To add a second coat, coat part hot at 180°F with good ground and on low voltage and rebake

Follow https://wiki.pikespeakmakerspace.org/index.php/Powder_Coating for step by step powder coating procedures.

Max part size to powder coat is 36"x45"x91"

Tips

Links to external sites:

How to Powder Coat — Eastwood

POWDER COATING COLLECTIONS — PRISMATIC POWDERS

110 Powder Coated Household Items — on Pinterest

Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit

Equipment Lists

Powder Coating Equipment

Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number	Reference Materials
	media blaster cabinet	Harbor Freight		web page
	powder coating paint gun, dual voltage	Eastwood		Powder Coating
	powder coating paint booth		N/A
	huge (36"x45"91") powder coating oven with PID controller	Trevor Banks	N/A

Hand Tools

Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number
	IR thermometer
	small clamp

Powder Coating Area hand tools should be marked with pink tape or paint or powder coating.

Return all tools to their proper location after use. This rule applies to all areas of our Makerspace.

Donations Received

Wish List

Pikes Peak Makerspace is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so we can provide a receipt for any donations you make.

Benefits

PPM members enjoy discounts at the following local merchants:

(bring proof of membership)

Company	Website	Benefit	Directions to
	Woodcraft of Colorado Springs	10% discount	4438 Austin Bluffs Parkway
	CO Lumber Specialties	10% discount	3636 Stone Avenue
	GENERAL AIR	10% discount	3031 N Nevada Ave.
	ACE Hardware Uintah Gardens	10% discount	1830 W Uintah Street

Map of stores that provide PPM member discounts

Map of helpful local resources curated by our makers

At home LightBurn subscriptions can be purchased at a discounted rate for being a PPM member.

The discount code is saved as a Pinned Message in our 'laser-cutter' channel in Slack.

Policies

Materials

Powder Coating Powders

Color	Item	Safety Data Sheet	Curing Procedure	Supplier	Date
Sassy Pink	PSS 3063	Safety Data Sheet	20 Minutes at 350°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Neon Green	PSS 1221		10 Minutes at 400°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Space Dust	PPB 10713		10 Minutes at 400°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Ink Black	PSS 0106		10 Minutes at 400°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Flatter Black	ESS 4441		10 Minutes at 400°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Super Grip Black	PTB 6419		10 Minutes at 350°F	PRISMATIC POWDERS	02/10/22
Black	MATTE BLACK, Item 93306		400°F for 15-20 mins after flowout	Harbor Freight
Clear	SOFT (SATIN) CLEAR, PPS-1334		10 MIN AT 400° F	PRISMATIC POWDERS
White	GLOSS WHITE, PSS-5690		10 MIN AT 400° F	PRISMATIC POWDERS
Yellow	Mirror Yellow, # 10292		400° F for 20 mins after flowout	Eastwood Company

• 

  Powder coating
  powder storage
  bottles

Donate for "General Supplies" via PayPal: bit.ly/ppmstuff

Or, leave donations in a black payment box, or use a QR code.

Red Tags

If equipment needs repairs, place a Red Tag on it and report it via the Pikes Peak Makerspace Slack channel #red-tags-issues

This advises others on the malfunctioning equipment and ensures that actions can be taken to service/repair the equipment.

Scrap and Trash

Trash day is MONDAY

Recycling day is MONDAY (96 gallon tote)

Single Stream Recycling provided by Waste Connections. Paper, cardboard, cans, glass, and one time use plastics.

Empty recycling and trash into our dumpster at the back (south side) of the building.

Always leave the space better than you found it.

Member Showcase

• 

  Powder coated
  hood latch with spring
  by Trevor Banks
• 

  Powder coated
  bracket and pulley
  by Trevor Banks
• 

  Powder coated
  valve cover washers
  by Trevor Banks

For even more member projects, visit our #showcase channel on Slack, or follow our social media links.

Related Pages

Links to related PPM Wiki pages:

  Metal Shop  

  Metal Shop — CNC SHOPMASTER  

  Sandblasting Cabinet  

  Metal Shop — Welding Area  

  Wood Shop  

  Vented Room  

  Shed  

For Additional Help

Use the PPM Slack channel #metal-shop

List of all PPM Slack channels

Note that we have a Slack channel (#job-board) for members to post, discuss, or accept job opportunities either within PPM or from the community.

Search the PPM Wiki — include Content pages as well as Multimedia.

Contact Us if you cannot find your answer here on our Wiki or if you notice any information that is outdated.

 

Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) is dedicated to supporting our maker community in their creative processes by providing shared space, shared tools, materials, software, and a knowledge base to turn their ideas into reality.