Martin Engineering recently installed a new and improved paint system at its Neponset, IL location. This new system is already up and running and producing high-quality paint jobs. The new system is much more comprehensive than the previous paint system and consists of four steps; washing, drying, painting, and curing.

The product will be washed with a hot phosphate conversion coating at 180°F – meeting industry standard SSPC-SC-1 (a solvent cleaning standard) – and a final clean-water rinse. Next, the products go through a dry-off oven which removes any leftover rinse water that could adversely affect the paint application. After the dry-off stage, the parts enter a fully enclosed down-draft paint booth. A urethane, solvent-based wet paint is then applied. This paint is very durable and will stand up to customer expectations in form and function as well as meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Test Standards. Lastly, the products go through a cure oven which will force dry the paint for 15 to 20 minutes at approximately 220° F. This will bake the paint on to ensure longevity and to allow secondary operations such as assembly and shipping to be performed immediately after the cool down process, resulting in reduced overall lead time.

The company decided to implement the new paint line to continue to provide reliable and first-class solutions and products to customers. Martin Engineering prides itself on providing the highest quality products and satisfaction to its customers as evidenced by the magnitude and significant capital investment of this process improvement project.