Powder Coating Guidelines

Your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about powder coating with SendCutSend.
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Materials Available for Powder Coating

Materials have to meet a few requirements for powder coating: they have to be able to hold an electrostatic charge, and withstand high curing temperatures.

Because of these requirements, aluminum, mild steel and stainless steel are the best candidates for powder coating. We can powder coat these materials in several different thicknesses.

  • 5052 Aluminum 0.063″ – 0.500”
  • 6061 Aluminum 0.063″ – 0.500”
  • 7075 Aluminum 0.125” – 0.250″
  • Mild Steel 0.048″ – 0.500”
  • G90 Galvanized Steel 0.030″ – 0.074″
  • 4130 Chromoly Steel 0.050″ – 0.250”
  • 304 Stainless Steel 0.048″ – 0.500”
  • 316 Stainless Steel 0.060″ – 0.250”

*Hot Roll A36 is the least favorable material to powder coat. It has a mill scale and it’s not completely removed in the blasting process and is visible after powder is completed.

Order Requirements

For the fastest turnaround time, we recommend placing your powder-coated parts as a separate order from your non-powder coated parts. This will give you the best possible lead time for all your parts.

We are still cutting and shipping your orders at our typical break-neck speed, but keep in mind that powder coating will add 7-10 days to the production time. We know the final look of your parts will be worth the wait!

Available Powder Coat Colors

Matte Black

Axalta Black Magic/BK120
0-9% Gloss

Gloss Black

Cardinal BK
12/(RAL 9011)
90% Gloss

Wrinkle Black

Cardinal BK176
10% Gloss

Gloss White

Tiger Bengal White 49/11111/(RAL 9003)
90% Gloss

Gloss Red

Cardinal
RD03/(RAL 3002)
90% Gloss

Gloss Yellow

YL01/(RAL 1018)
90% Gloss

Emerald Green

40 / 52900 (RAL 6001)
85% Gloss

Geometry Requirements for Powder Coating

Summary:

All powder coated parts must be at least 1″ x 3″. The shortest dimension should be no smaller than 1″, and the whole square area of the part should be no less than 3 inches2.

You can find the limits for all materials and post processing services here: Processing Minimum and Maximum Flat Part Sizes

There should be a hole or cutout .063” (1.60mm) or larger in each powder coated part so it can be hung. Any holes or cutouts part of the design should not be less than .040” (1.02mm). Holes smaller than .040” or 1.02mm may “fill” with powder during the coating process.

We can’t plug tapped holes prior to powder coating, so keep in mind that any holes we tap for you will need to be chased with a tap to remove any build up between the threads.

What To Expect

Parts will be sandblasted prior to powder coating to ensure a successful finish.

The powder adds between .004” (0.102mm) and .010” (0.254mm) to the overall thickness of your final part. Be sure to account for this in any areas of your design with small holes or tight clearances.

At this time we do not offer tab removal on powder coated parts so micro joints/tabs will be visible through the powder coat. These are typically 0.015-0.030″ in width depending on the material and roughly .010″ in height.

In addition, we cannot provide etching on any of your powder coated parts as the powder will completely cover them.

Except for the wrinkle black finish, all powder coat colors will show fingerprints.

Preparing Your Parts for Powder Coating

If after reading these guidelines you’ve found you need to make some changes to your part design, check out our tutorials for designing and preparing your files in Illustrator, Inkscape, and Fusion 360.

Pre-flight Checklist

Start your first SendCutSend project today!

Upload your CAD design or use our parts builder and get a free instant quote on your custom laser cut parts, all delivered to your door in a matter of days.
No CAD File? No Problem! Send your sketch or template to our Design Services team. Starting at $49.

We proudly use hardware by PEM

Flush stud, M8 x 1.25, .472" Zinc plus Clear Chromate

Aluminum: 5052, 6061, 7075 Steel: Mild

SKUFH-M8-12
Thread SizeM8 x 1.25
Hole size in sheet (+0.003/-.0.000).315″
Minimum sheet thickness0.94″
Maximum sheet thickness.347″
Fastener materialSteel
Minimum distance hole C/L to edge0.378″
When determining the distance between two or more fasteners, you can calculate the distance by the formula, C/L to edge + 1/2 the diameter of the second mounting hole..567″
Recommended panel materialSteel/Aluminum
Coating typeZinc
Length.472″
Aluminum material ranges (5052, 6061, 7075)0.100″-0.250″
Steel material ranges (CRS, HRPO, HR)0.104″-0.250″

Get an Instant Quote for Waterjet Cutting

We proudly use hardware by PEM

Flush Standoff, 4-40, .250" Zinc plus Clear Chromate

Aluminum: 5052, 6061, 7075 Steel: Mild, G30

SKUSO-440-8
Thread Size4-40 x .250″
Hole size in sheet (+0.003/-.0.000).168″
Minimum sheet thickness0.040″
Maximum sheet thickness.125″
Fastener materialSteel
Minimum distance hole C/L to edge0.230″
When determining the distance between two or more fasteners, you can calculate the distance by the formula, C/L to edge + 1/2 the diameter of the second mounting hole..345″
Recommended panel materialSteel/Aluminum
Coating typeZinc
Length.250″
Aluminum material ranges (5052, 6061, 7075)0.040″-0.125″
Steel material ranges (CRS, HRPO, HR)0.048″-0.119″

We proudly use hardware by PEM

Flush Standoff, 4-40, .250" Passivated

Stainless Steel: 304, 316

SKUSO4-440-8
Thread Size440
Hole size in sheet (+0.003/-.0.000).166″
Minimum sheet thickness0.04″
Maximum sheet thickness.125″
Fastener material400 Stainless Steel
Minimum distance hole C/L to edge0.230″
When determining the distance between two or more fasteners, you can calculate the distance by the formula, C/L to edge + 1/2 the diameter of the second mounting hole. Example shown with x2 of the same hardware..345″
Recommended panel materialStainless Steel
Coating typePassivated
Length.250″
304 Stainless Steel material ranges0.048″-0.125″
316 Stainless Steel material ranges0.060″-0.125″