Re: Designing for Powder Coating
 

Couldn't you just pull the tape off after you have sprayed the part with powder? That way you aren't actually putting any tape in the oven. I am asking, I have never tried to powder-coat before.

Would end up taking off the powder around it if you weren't beyond careful.

Re: Designing for Powder Coating
 

We have been powder coating for six years now. We usually do a two-tone job, but little parts that are added later (braces, dust covers, etc) we usually juts spray-paint. You can't really tell the difference unless you're up close. We have been known to make a couple extra of parts that we know may need to be replaced and have those painted as well, but most replacement parts are not coated.

Because our sponsor donates the coating, labor, etc., we always prep the parts for them. We clean it pretty thoroughly, and then have a "sanding party." Everyone chips in on this part and sands the whole thing (through holes, inside crevices, etc.). The whole process usually takes a few hours, but many hands make light work.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer. Just PM me.

Re: Designing for Powder Coating
 

100 did all of our own powdercoating last year, and I did a lot of the work myself. It's fair to say we made a lot of mistakes (especially in the offseason when we tried it for the first time), but I was very satisfied with the results overall.

When the pros do it, they can get a real thin even coat, but when we did it, we kind of just tried to get as much paint on there as the gun would give. This ended up being as little as 5 thou in places, and as much as 30 thou in others. I'd expect professionals to be around 3 thou, and even throughout the part.

Definitely only send out parts you're sure are right. Just test at fit everything together so you can be sure you're using your sponsors time on stuff that will work right. Also on that note, they probably don't want a slow trickle of parts as you manufacture them, they probably want one big set of parts all in one color.

Yes, defiantly. We did the VersaTrucks thing last year, and we just masked over anywhere where the VersaTrucks was going to touch the frame. For you, I'd recommend masking over the hole, so the edges are just as they were milled. No one will see it, it's under where the wheel is.

Yes, we did. If you're less lazy them I am, you can search my past posts to find the real number (it's been a while), but if I'm remembering correctly, it's something like 3-5 pounds if you PC most of the robot. However, I'm sure that number would be very different for pro vs amateur PC and for different robot shapes, etc.

Yeah, we tried a bunch of stuff, a lot of it just burnt or melted into a disgusting goopy mess. Kapton tape worked well, it's designed for real high temperatures, and leaves a clean edge. It's a bit expensive, but you don't use that much and it's definitely the right thing to use for PC masking. I think you can get it on MMC.

In terms of surface prep, we did everything ourself. First, we did a wash with water and simple green, and then sand blasting, then another simple green wash to get the sand off. Then, we were ready to mask, spray and bake. Keep in mind that good prep takes a really long time, and you can get good results without it, but without solid surface prep, PC is real hit and miss. We ended up regretting most times we didn't prep well. Talk to your sponsor about what they want.