title = "Industrial Painting Systems and Primer Selection"

content = """
Industrial painting on metal components serves dual purposes: corrosion protection and aesthetic finish. Ridgecrest Metalworks applies liquid paint systems across fabricated steel, aluminum, and cast components, with primer selection driven by base metal type, service environment, and customer specification.

Primers form the foundation of any coating system. Zinc-rich primers (organic or inorganic) provide galvanic protection on steel by sacrificing zinc anodes when the film is breached. Epoxy primers offer excellent adhesion and chemical resistance and are standard for components exposed to oils or mild chemicals. Wash primers (etch primers) contain phosphoric acid and are used directly over bare metal to promote adhesion, particularly on aluminum. Self-etching primers chemically bond to the substrate and are applied where mechanical adhesion alone is insufficient.

Surface preparation before painting is critical. Steel must be abrasive blasted to minimum Sa 2.5 (near-white metal) per ISO 8501-1 or SSPC-SP10 for high-performance coatings. Aluminum and galvanized surfaces receive chromate conversion or sweep blast prior to priming. Contaminants including oil, grease, and salts must be removed by solvent wiping or alkaline cleaning before any coating is applied.

Common topcoat systems used at Ridgecrest include:
- Alkyd enamels: Cost-effective for interior components, limited chemical resistance
- Epoxy topcoats: Two-component systems offering hardness and chemical resistance; typical DFT 75–125 microns
- Polyurethane topcoats: Superior UV stability and gloss retention for exterior or customer-visible parts
- Powder coat: Thermosetting polyester or epoxy powder applied electrostatically and cured in oven at 180–200 °C; common on general fabrication

Application methods include airless spray, conventional HVLP spray, and electrostatic spray. Film thickness is monitored wet and dry using magnetic gauges. Minimum and maximum dry film thickness (DFT) values are defined in paint system data sheets and customer drawings. Each batch of primer and topcoat receives a lot number recorded on traveller cards for traceability.

Recoat windows must be respected: applying topcoat outside the specified overcoat window (too early or too late) causes intercoat adhesion failure. Cure times depend on ambient temperature and humidity; temperature below 10 °C or relative humidity above 85 % are stop-work conditions unless approved alternatives are in place.
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