Go Powder utilizes two Heated Custom Indoor Blast rooms. Our work flow is continuous, no matter what time of year it is.

Your coatings supplier will always designate the degree of surface preparation required for the materials you are using. The basic standards for preparing metal substrates are a joint effort between the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers International (NACE).

Go Powder Inc highly recommends that sharp edges on metal be relieved to achieve a better overall coating adhesion. Sharp edges cause premature coating failure. Also pinholes in welds cannot be filled by the powder coating process. Go Powder Inc recommends that all holes be filled by the customer prior to the powder coating process.

SSPC-SP1 Solvent Cleaning

This surface preparation standard is used to remove oils, soils, grease, salts, and any other contaminants by wiping with a solvent, a degreaser or steam cleaning. Refer to the standards for a full listing of suitable methods. The sole intention is to clean the substrate prior to coating or blasting to ensure that no contaminants are entrapped that could lead to premature failure. If a part requires blasting, it is always a prerequisite to blasting or tool cleaning. Failure to do so may contribute to premature coating failure.   In most shop environments, the standard is followed by using a solvent or a rag, ensuring a continuous wipe in one direction on the substrate. Once the wipe is completed, examine the rag and turn it to a clean area and continue. By not changing to a clean area of the rag, you risk smearing the oil across the substrate instead of removing it completely.

SSPC-SP2 Hand Tool Cleaning

Removes all loose mil scale. Loose rust, paint, and any other detrimental foreign matter by hand chipping, scraping, sanding and wire brushing. To conform to SP2, the part to be powder coated must be free of all loose material. If there is any leftover paint, rust or mill scale that cannot be removed by lifting with a putty knife, then you have achieved the SP2 standard.

SSPC-SP3 Power Tool  Cleaning

Removes all loose mill scale, rust, paint and other loose detrimental foreign matter by power wire brushing, power sanding, grinding, tool chipping and tool descaling. The difference between SP2 and SP3 is that SP3 is based on using Power Tools. Be careful when using power tools to prepare a surface in that you should not remove any more material than what is intended. Depending on the project, removing too much material could lead to visual defects which in turn could result in costly re-work.

Blast Cleaning Standards

SSPC SP5 / NACE #1 White Metal Blast Cleaning

This is the cleanest degree of blasting that you will find. You would require this standard when the substrates are going to be exposed to a hostile environment ie: chemical treatment facilities, oil and gas plants, or marine environments.   To achieve SP5, the project will be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, prior coatings, oxides, corrosion or any other foreign matter when viewed without magnification. In other words: it has to be “white metal clean”. Even the staining that mill scale or rust can leave behind must be cleaned from the substrate.

SSPC-SP10 NACE #2 Near  White Blast  Cleaning

To achieve SP10, the project will be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, prior coatings, oxides, corrosion products or any other foreign matter to at least 95% of the unit area when viewed without magnification. This is the degree of cleanliness required for preparing products for long-term outdoor use. The main difference between SP5 and SP10 is that with SP10 there can be no more than 5% of each unit surface area that may contain staining, light shadows, slight streaks, or minor discolorations caused by rust, mill scale or prior coatings. The unit area shall be 3 inch x 3 inch (9 square inches).

SSPC – SP6 NACE # 3  Commercial Blast Cleaning

This standard is used to describe the degree of cleanliness needed when a single coat of indoor applications or a low-cost outdoor two-coat system is required. The key difference is that it allows for 33% of random staining instead of 0% (SP5) or 5% (SP10).

SSPC – SP7 NACE # 4 Brush Blast Cleaning

This degree of cleanliness of steel results in the removal of all previous coatings, mill scale, and rust that cannot be removed with a dull putty knife. Anything that is tightly adhered to the surface is acceptable.

To prevent the potential for creating a corrosion cell by impinging steel into aluminum or stainless steel, it is important that the media be changed and new media be used when changing over to blasting non-ferrous substrates such as aluminum.

SSPC-SP11 Power Tool Cleaning of Bare Metal

When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, paint, oxides, corrosion products and any other foreign matter. Slight residues of rust and or paint may be left in the lower portion of pits if the original surface is pitted. The surface profile shall not be less than 1 mil (25 microns).

SSPC – SP12 NACE 5 – 

Surface Preparation and Cleaning of Steel and Other Hard Materials by High and Ultra High Pressure Water Jetting Prior to Re-coating.

This standard requires a high pressure or ultra-high pressure water jetting to prepare a surface for recoating. The pressure of the water should be above 10,000 psi.   Water jetting will not produce a profile; rather, it exposes the original abrasive-blasted surface profile. Water jetting shall be performed to meet four conditions: WJ-1, WJ-2, WJ-3, and WJ-4.   A minimum acceptable surface shall have all loose rust, loose mill scale, and loose coatings uniformly removed.

SSPC – SSP13 / NACE 6 Surface Preparation of Concrete

Provides the requirements for surface preparation of concrete by mechanical, chemical, or thermal methods prior to the application of bonded protective coating or lining systems.

SSPC – SP14 / NACE 8 Industrial Blast Cleaning

Removal of all visible oil, grease, dust and dirt, when viewed without magnification. Traces of tightly adherent mil scale, rust, and coating residues are permitted to remain on 10% of the unit surface area if they are evenly distributed. Shadows, streaks, and discoloration caused by stains of rust, stains of mil scale, and stains of previously applied coatings may be present on the remainder of the surface. 

Your coatings supplier will always designate the degree of surface preparation required for the materials you are using. The basic standards for preparing metal substrates are a joint effort between the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers International (NACE).

Go Powder Inc highly recommends that sharp edges on metal be relieved to achieve a better overall coating adhesion. Sharp edges cause premature coating failure. Also pinholes in welds cannot be filled by the powder coating process. Go Powder Inc recommends that all holes be filled by the customer prior to the powder coating process.