Powder Coating Area

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

Additional training is required to use our Level 2 equipment.

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

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.

Powder Coating Area (6 February 2022)

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

New Member Orientation

Area Captain -- Trevor Banks

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

View all PPM Area Captains

Classes

Pikes Peak Makerspace announces its Upcoming events, including classes, on Meetup

Training

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 see if there electricity aches to the part. If not adjust ground until you have a strong arch.
Hold button and spray powder 6-8in away in a circular motion around part until the part is evenly coated.
Start coating the parts that are deep and have 90deg 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

Please see 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

Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit

For Additional Help

Use the PPM Slack channel #metal-shop

Equipment Lists

Powder Coating Equipment

Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number	Estimated Value	Owner	Status	Problem Description
	media blaster cabinet	Harbor Freight	link	$200, (gloves $30)	PPM, (donated by TITAN ROBOTICS)	new gloves installed (10/27/21)
	gloves for media blaster	Harbor Freight	link	$32	PPM	additional pair of gloves, unopened (11/27/21)
	powder coating paint booth		N/A		PPM, (donated by TITAN ROBOTICS)
	powder coating paint gun, dual voltage	Eastwood			PPM	working
	huge (36"x45"91") powder coating oven with PID controller	Trevor Banks	N/A		PPM
File:Oven for powder coating.jpg	oven for powder coating	GE			PPM, (donated by Quinn Hackenberg)		would benefit from PID controller
Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number	Estimated Value	Owner	Status	Problem Description

Hand Tools

Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number	Estimated Value	Owner
	IR thermometer				PPM
	small clamp				PPM
Picture	Item	Manufacturer	Model Number	Estimated Value	Owner

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 and Policies

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.

Equipment Reservations

Materials

Powder Coating Powders

Color	Item	SDS	Curing Procedure	Supplier	Date
Sassy Pink	PSS 3063	Link	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
Gray
Gray
Color	Item		Curing Procedure	Supplier	Date

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

Use a Red Tag, which can be found in the red tag area, to designate broken 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
Powder coated
bracket and pulley
by
Powder coated
valve cover washers
by

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

Curated Links

Links to other sites (external links):

How to Powder Coat -- Eastwood

Other Fun Stuff