Powder coating from afar seems really simple. You ground the part and shoot powder at the surface and heat it. That’s it right? While on a broad stroke that is the process for powder coating there’s a lot more to it if you want a quality finish. A lot of the secret of powder coating is having the proper settings on your powder coating gun when spraying powder.
Once you get into more professional powder coating guns you will notice that they all have a “KV” setting. The KV range varies from system to system but the idea is simple. The higher the KV the larger the area and more the powder will cover or stick on an item. The lower the KV the lower the charge and area it will cover but it allows you to powder coat in tight or boxed in areas.
So what is KV? It is the symbol for a Kilovolt. A Kilovolt as simply put, is the amount of charge a powder gun puts into the powder particles once airborne. 1 KV is equal to 1000 volts, so a gun like the Eastwood Elite PCS-1000 powder gun that goes up to 100KV can put a serious charge into the powder and allows you to coat large areas more efficiently and with greater coverage.
The real trick when dialing your powder coating gun is to make sure that you aren’t constantly leaving the KV setting cranked all the way up. If you’re getting excessive pock marks or dimples in the surface of the powder you may need to slightly reduce the KV setting on your gun. Another trick when running a higher KV setting is to hold the gun further away than normal allowing the powder to grab onto a large surface area as it spreads out from the tip of the gun.
If you’re looking to step up your powder coating game consider the Eastwood Elite PCS-1000 for a professional shop or a serious enthusiast. The PCS-1000 allows for a quick color changes with the fluidizing hopper system and a wide KV setting that can allow you powder coat anything that will take a charge! Learn More about all of the Eastwood Powder Coating Products HERE.