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Need Help With Rack Stripping With Vinyl Powder

My company is going to be using vinyl powder to coat metal parts and we need to know what rack stripping companies are out there to remove the cured powder. We cannot use our burn-off oven because of vapors released from the vinyl. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Chris Ballew
- Newport, Tennessee USA
2000

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2000

Hi Chris,

Firstly I am not nor ever was in the 'rack stripping business' only a l o n g time in plastics. Having shown my lack of credentials, all I can suggest is that you, use, maybe, a solvent.

The most efficient solvent for vinyl, sic. PVC, is what they use to make PVC cement from. You can get the 'cleaner' or primer (sometimes blue in colour to denote to an inspector that parts have been primed)in cans, pints to gallons ... or even in 45 gal. drums (Dupont comes to mind)

As you probably know it's called THF or tetrahydrafurane. A good aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, a smelly one, however.

You could, depending upon your part sizes, think about presoftening the vinyl. Use an ordinary 45 gal. drum. Pour in an inch or so of the solvent. Place parts on a perforated plate. Put on the lid (to prevent evaporation),. Let it 'stew' for a while.

Food fer thort, eh?

Cheers !

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).

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Mr. Ballew: Have you considered molten salt for your stripping needs, and the many benefits it offers.

Regards

Tom Walen
Springfield, Massachusetts
2000

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Chris,

At many automotive finishing plants parts are coated and cured (baked) on carriers, the typical cleaning process is the carrier enters an area in which high pressure water (36K either manually or with robots application) is used to remove the excess material, then the carrier is ran through an high pressure blow off area. It is then returned to the system.

John Fink
- Sterling, Michigan USA
2001

You should consider using a vendor that can supply you with soda blasting services. The process is environmentally friendly, fast and will be easy on your racks.

Dr. D. T. Walker
- Barrington, Illinois, USA
2001