A-coating and E-coating are two options for industrial metal coating technologies. They apply rust and corrosion-proof coating to metal parts. Both a-coating and e-coating are dip-coating processes that see wide use in the automotive and heavy machinery industries to coating large components.
Despite these similarities, there are significant differences to consider when selecting the correct industrial metal coating process.
Minnesota Industrial Coatings (MIC) provides consistently high-quality industrial coatings, including powder coating and electrocoating (e-coating). MIC guides each project through planning, coating, testing, packaging, and shipping. MIC’s expert team works closely with each customer, using leading coatings technologies and eco-sensitive, quality-driven processes.
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“A-coating” is a colloquial term for a coating application with Aquence. Aquence was previously marketed as an autophoretic coating.
A-coating is waterborne, a poly coating that bonds to iron on contact. A ferrous metal part is dipped in a tank of liquid Aquence, and the product bonds to the piece with a chemical reaction. Manufacturers finish the process by placing the piece in an oven to cure the coating.
A-coating has gained recognition as a reliable metal coating technology in the automotive and heavy industrial manufacturing industries.
A-coating thickness is controlled in several ways. Because the coating depends not on an electrical current but the diffusion of ferric ions to the surface and ferrous ions, the deposition rate slows down over time and will self-limit to a certain extent.
The A-coating process is a reliable and straightforward industrial finishing system. It has a long and global record of providing uniform protective coatings to the automotive, metal furniture, agricultural equipment, and appliance industries.
Autophoretic and Aquence Coatings provide superior uniform coatings that offer unique advantages, including coating complex metal and non-metal assemblies and conducting post-forming operations on coated parts.
A-coatings are rigid yet flexible films that compete in functional performance with balking enamels, electroplating, electrocoating, and powder-coating technologies.
As you’ve read before in our blog posts, E-coating refers to electrocoating or electrophoretic painting. It is a metal coating technology developed to apply anti-corrosive coatings to metal.
The e-coating process involves immersing the metal components in a series of dip tanks.
First, to pre-treat and apply zirconium conversion coating. Then topcoat, clean, rinse and condition it.
When dipped into the e-coating materials, the manufacturer activates an electrical current that passes through each tank using the part as an electrode. This electrical activity causes a resin layer to adhere to each piece, coating all surfaces exposed to the substance.
Much like the A-coating process, a part coated with E-coating must be cured after the dipping application.
It is possible to control the thickness of the coating by adjusting the electrical current to the tank. Using a higher voltage will result in a thicker finished layer.
While these two metal coating technologies may sound similar, the differences between A-coating and E-coating are significant.
A-coating bonds to metal through a chemical reaction, while E-coating bonds through the application of an electrical current.
A-coating process requires fewer dip stations and has a much smaller footprint than the footprint of E-coating equipment.
E-coating involves a lengthy pretreatment process with multiple washing, cleaning, rinsing, and conditioning stations.
With less equipment, the A-coating process consumes significantly less energy than E-coating.
While known for its durability, E-coating is vulnerable to UV rays. A-coating is both durable and withstands UV rays.
Both A-coating and E-coating provide excellent protection to metal substrates. E-coating, however, offers better protection in harsher environments than a-coating.
E-coating solvents have a higher resistance to environmental influence. A small scratch on the component exposes the metal to everything the outside world throws at it. Studies show E-coating offers greater acidic and water resistance than a-coating because of the fluid’s chemical composition.
Providing the same level of environmental resistance using the A-coating process is possible.
However, it requires depositing more significant quantities of fluid on the substrate. While those increased fluids protect the metal, they also create increased rigidity and brittleness, creating some industrial application issues.
Because of this advantage, electrocoating provides better protection across the spectrum of applications than the a-coating process.
Minnesota Industrial Coatings (MIC) provides consistently high-quality industrial coatings, including electrocoating (e-coating). MIC guides each project through planning, coating, testing, packaging, and shipping. MIC’s expert team works closely with each customer, using leading coatings technologies and eco-sensitive, quality-driven processes.
Contact us for your coating project today.
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