Electrodeposited organic coating

Electrophoretic coating

Paint deposited by electric current, so every edge and recess gets the same film.

The part is immersed in a water-based resin bath and made one electrode. Resin particles migrate under the applied field and deposit uniformly, including into recesses and around sharp edges where spray coatings thin out. The film is then cured like a powder coat.

Quote this finish Compare finishes

How it compares

Relative to the other finishes we apply. A selection aid, not a specification.

Corrosion resistance Excellent
Wear resistance Good
Colour range Fair
Edge and recess coverage Excellent
UV stability Very good
Repairability Limited

How the process works

Pre-treat and anodise where the system calls for it (most architectural e-coat is over anodising).
Immerse in the electrocoat bath and apply the deposition voltage.
Rinse to recover drag-out; the bath is a closed loop.
Cure in an oven to cross-link the film.

Thickness and systems

Option	Range	Note
Standard e-coat	15–25 µm	Thin and uniform. Often applied over an anodised layer.
High-build	25–40 µm	More corrosion protection where the geometry allows.

Typical properties

Property	Value
Film thickness	15–25 µm
Cure temperature	160–180 °C
Coverage uniformity	Within a few µm across the section
Salt spray, over anodising	Up to 3,000 hours

Advantages

Uniform film thickness on edges, recesses and complex sections — its defining advantage.
Outstanding corrosion performance, especially over an anodised base.
Water-based bath with high material utilisation and low waste.
Thin film, so tolerances and fine detail survive better than under powder.
No Faraday-cage thinning in deep recesses, unlike spray powder.

Limitations

Colour range is limited compared with powder coating.
The process is only economic at volume — the bath has to be kept in balance.
Needs a conductive substrate, so it applies to aluminium but not to plastics.
Not repairable locally; a damaged part goes back through the line.
Cure temperature still rules out very thin or heavily formed sections.

Design notes

What costs money when it is discovered after tooling.

Choose e-coat where the section has deep channels or many edges — that is where it beats powder.
Where it goes over anodising, specify the anodic layer thickness separately; the two are quoted as a system.
Allow for the film on close-tolerance features just as you would for powder, only less.
Contact points leave small uncoated marks; design where they may fall.

Colour and effect range

Solid colours, notably black and bronze
Limited custom palette
Matte, satin and gloss

Standards

Qualicoat (as a system over anodising)
AAMA 2603 / 2604
EN 12206-1

Typical applications

Architectural curtain wall and window systems
High-corrosion exterior profiles
Automotive trim and roof rails
Complex hollow sections where spray coverage fails

Other finishes

Conversion coating

Anodising

An aluminium oxide layer grown out of the metal itself — hard, integral and never peels.

Surface texture, no coating

Mechanical finishes

Brushing, polishing and blasting change the surface texture without adding a coating.

Applied organic coating

Powder coating

The widest colour and texture range of any finish we apply, with a tough cured film.

Sublimation transfer over powder

Wood grain transfer

A photographic wood or stone texture sublimated into a powder coat — the look of timber…

Compare all finishes