Choosing the Right Industrial Coating – Food Manufacturing Experts
When someone mentions epoxy coatings usually the first thing that comes to mind is flooring. Epoxy flooring is widely known for its durability. Many people even turn to epoxy coatings in their homes for use on their garage floors. When you consider epoxy’s ability to protect the surface from corrosion and strengthen the material itself, it’s hard to deny the benefits of this seemingly magical finish.
WHAT IS EPOXY?
An epoxy coating is a chemical mix of epoxy resin and a hardener. These liquid components cure on a surface to create a tough finish that is ideal in industrial applications. There is a wide range of hardeners used which make epoxy coatings versatile for many different industries.
The curing of the coating is a key process that differentiates an epoxy from a paint that simply dries. During the curing process, epoxy actually adheres to the surface improving durability. Using paint would result in eventual cracking and peeling. This is because it just covers the surface but does not harden and bond.
All of these qualities make epoxy an ideal coating for our clients in the food manufacturing industry. This company needed to upgrade their kitchen to provide to protect the structure, ensure a quality product, and provide greater ease of cleaning and sanitation in their daily processes.
The environment inside the kitchen at a food manufacturing facility is hot, moist, and busy! It is vital to production so minimizing downtime for this type of project is a necessity. Blast It Clean was able to do this by using a product with a quick cure time and by working 12-hour shifts around the clock to allow needed time before the general manufacturing process was scheduled to resume.
CONTAINMENT
Working in a functional kitchen also meant we needed to build full containment with negative airflow and filters to minimize exposure to all areas that were not being coated. The coating is LOW VOC but we were careful to take all precautions to avoid contamination. We also made sure to diligently protect and contain all equipment and stainless steel in place before starting the cleaning and painting process.
Initial containment allowed us to start with the surface preparation. Dry Ice blasting was performed on all ceilings, walls, and joists to clean the surface and aid in the adhesion of the coating. Dry Ice is effective, sustainable, and gentle. It does not leave behind a residue that requires clean-up which equates to a quicker more efficient process. Dry Ice blasting is FDA, EPA, and USDA approved for use in the food processing industry.
With all residue and paint removed we tightened up containment and were sure to protect all flooring so we could get to work on the coating.
When selecting an epoxy coating there are many different factors to take into consideration specific to your project. Epoxy coating is a very broad category with many specialized applications. On this project, Blast It Clean used Carboguard 690 from Carboline. This product is a Phenalkamine epoxy. It uses curing agents cardanol, formaldehyde, and amines which results in an exceptionally fast cure time and superior resistance to water. It even tolerates moisture during application and is ideal for pipes and structural steel surfaces. Carboguard 690 is approved for use in USDA inspected facilities.
The outstanding water resistance qualities prevent bacteria growth so there is no concern for mold even in a warm, sticky kitchen like we were working in. In fact, this type of coating is so resistant to water it can even be used in immersion service for saltwater, process water (non-potable), and wastewater treatment projects!
Using a spray application, Blast It Clean coated all decking and joists of the ceiling twice and one coat was applied to all walls. This was followed up by a thorough, detailed clean-up so that area could be turned over for production to resume on time.
CONTACT THE EXPERTS
Blast It Clean has the experience and knowledge of using many different products for industrial coating. It’s important to understand options as well as what each of those means in your specific application. We can help with that! Whether it be an epoxy, a glaze, or paint you can trust us to find solutions for your industrial coating needs.
Click below to get the conversation started on solutions for your facility.