Cleaning up your act can make your powder coating life easier!
Nothing can slow down a fast color change like a powder coating booth that hasn’t been cleaned regularly, or properly! Again and again, ITW Gema customers ask questions on this very topic. So, in this issue of the XTremeXChange, we’ll tackle some of those questions that come up more frequently.

Q: What tools do I need to clean our booth?
A: Never cleaned your room when you were a teenager? Tsk, tsk. Well then, for booths constructed of polycarbonate, stainless steel, or a combination of both:
- A central vacuum system with lightweight hoses and attachments
- A foam squeegee
- Compressed air gun for blowing off powder applicator
- Dusting tools (Chix Masslinn dusting head & cloth, 3M Doodle Duster,
etc.) for deeper cleaning needs.

For quick color change systems using engineered plastic, like ITW Gema’s Luminaire™ material:
- A compressed air blow-off wand.
- These systems do not require manual rubbing or dusting, etc. (DO NOT dry rub these surfaces as this will cause friction charging and add to cleaning difficulties. DO NOT touch these surfaces at all unless deep cleaning or polishing.)

Q: How do I remove conveyor oil, grease or other lubricating contaminants from the booth floor or wall?
A: Eating lunch in the booth, are we? For light cleaning, use a soft cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol and lightly rub the area. Dry area gently with a dry soft cloth. For deeper cleaning, a mild detergent and warm water with a clean, soft cloth or sponge, works best. Wipe the affected areas, rinse well (preferably with distilled or deionized water) and dry gently and thoroughly while taking extra care not to scratch any plastic surfaces. Don’t scrub or use brushes!

Q: I’ve been careful with cleaning, but I still see scratches in the polycarbonate walls. Is there anything I can do about them?
A: Wear sunglasses. No, seriously… minor abrasions can be minimized by using a mild silicone-free polish like Mirror Glaze Plastic Polish, Plexus or Novus Plastic Polish #1 or #2, or purchase booth polish from ITW Gema (Part # 262641). Follow the directions on the manufacturer’s package and use a light touch!

Q: I’ve heard that polishing the engineered plastic walls in my quick color change powder coating booth can make color changes faster and easier. Why?
A: As the “Karate Kid” learned: Wax on… wax off. Waxing or polishing your booth walls with proper materials provides a protective, slippery coating that helps keep powder from sticking, making it easier to remove with compressed air, thereby speeding-up color changes. See our March 2007 GemaGram to “polish-up” on waxing your booth walls. Click here.

No matter what cleaning agent you use, be sure to test it on a small, inconspicuous area before using it all over the booth. Never use abrasives or high-alkaline cleaners, benzene, gasoline, acetone or carbon tetrachloride in your booth because they can damage plastics. Don’t scrape walls with metal or hard-rubber squeegees, razor blades or other sharp instruments and don’t clean in high temperature or humidity conditions. It is strongly recommended that a squeegee not be used in engineered plastic booths.

Proper booth cleaning will keep your powder coating booth looking and functioning fabulously for years to come. It’s what clean living will do for you… you’ll be more productive and save money in the long run.
See? Your mother was right all along!

If you're making 6 or more color changes in an 8 hour shift, you're working in an XTreme Color Change Environment™. Just the situation the Chameleon™ Color Management System was designed for. The Chameleon is the source for your coating booth's powder supply and lets you spray powder directly from the powder manufacturer's original shipping container. But not only that, the Chameleon automates the internal cleaning of suction tubes, injectors, powder hoses, and spray guns by streaming compressed air through the system. This saves cleaning time and frees operators to handle other color-change tasks.
The Chameleon Color Management System shortens any color change process, saving you money by:
• Reducing color change time
• Reducing capital required for additional feed hoppers and
• components
• Lowering risk of color cross-contamination
• Increasing production line operation and uptime
With these capabilities, the Chameleon could quickly become the most productive member of your operation!

There's a lot more to tell about the Chameleon Color Management System. For additional information or better yet, to schedule an Application System Analysis Program (ASAP), visit www.itwgema.us or call 1-800-628-0601.