powder coating

[jlrenken]

does anyone know if i were to powder coat my swingarm would it weaken it. do the powder coating process have a negative affect on the aluminum.

[TNT]

I wouldn't risk it, the heat could ruin the straightness of your bearing journals since the steel and al contract at different rates and aluminum castings don't take kind to heat cycles.....I put a tuff liner on ours it holds up well looks nice less risky.

[xrxmxcx]

The powder process won't come close to temperatures that would cause any disformities.
Our swingarms are coated and many bikes are as well, go for it!

[TNT]

Originally posted by xrxmxcx
The powder process won't come close to temperatures that would cause any disformities.
Our swingarms are coated and many bikes are as well, go for it!

Please post some pics of swing arms. What do you all charge? Also what is the temp that WILL cause disconformities? What is the material of the DS swing? What type of heat treat? What finish? What temp would you all heat it to?

Will you show us YOUR swing arm powder coated first? "GO for it?" lol! How long have you ran it powder coated and is it holding up structurally?

XRX get on here and tell someone to heat cycle thier swing arm and don't list all the facts needed or pics in order to decide. Your too smart for your own good and others and as people have said lack the facts behind your post. :rolleyes:

Well time for beddy bye....Good night! :D

[xrxmxcx]

I will post pics when I take them, weren't you the one saying to remove balljoints heat the arm and use a mallet? Talk about going against your own beliefes....

PC usually bakes at 3-400 degrees, we are using a textures color for durability and it looks damn nice!

[Blizzard24]

These swingarms are cast aluminum. Easily able to withhold a heat cycle of 400* for powdercoating. People have been PCing stock cast aluminum swingarms for years.

The only time I have seen issues w PCing was the Cannondale frames as they were tempered frames and lost their tempering when reheated above 350*.

[BCS Performance]

We have always powdercoated our swingarms and rear hips on our bikes and have never had an issue. Most of our race bikes get powdercoated 2-3 times a year as well to keep them pretty :cool:

[xrxmxcx]

Originally posted by TNT
Please post some pics of swing arms. What do you all charge? Also what is the temp that WILL cause disconformities? What is the material of the DS swing? What type of heat treat? What finish? What temp would you all heat it to?

Will you show us YOUR swing arm powder coated first? "GO for it?" lol! How long have you ran it powder coated and is it holding up structurally?

XRX get on here and tell someone to heat cycle thier swing arm and don't list all the facts needed or pics in order to decide. Your too smart for your own good and others and as people have said lack the facts behind your post. :rolleyes:

Well time for beddy bye....Good night! :D

I'll take years of no problems, and testing over speculation from someone sitting behind a computer.

[xrxmxcx]

Originally posted by TNT
Please post some pics of swing arms. What do you all charge? Also what is the temp that WILL cause disconformities? What is the material of the DS swing? What type of heat treat? What finish? What temp would you all heat it to?

Will you show us YOUR swing arm powder coated first? "GO for it?" lol! How long have you ran it powder coated and is it holding up structurally?

XRX get on here and tell someone to heat cycle thier swing arm and don't list all the facts needed or pics in order to decide. Your too smart for your own good and others and as people have said lack the facts behind your post. :rolleyes:

Well time for beddy bye....Good night! :D

Another note..

Most PC process's go through 275-300F, most on the lower side. More reputable, more accurate as they say. Most run 275-285 and bake, compared to fly by night guy's baking in their old kitchen oven.

Most aluminum alloys are safe until 425-450F. In low grade you might see some affect, but with components like we are dealing with would be more then safe. I wouldn't worry about a swing arm that is about 1/4" thick at the thinnest point to warp.

[jlrenken]

thanks for the info guys.

[Pappy]

1. Curing temps for most powders is between 350 and 400 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes (Actual time in oven will be determined by ramp up time and add cool time for part temp to fall below cure temp)

Coating the parts isnt an issue at all......but you better think ahead because to properly remove it will require a burn off process that will see temps in excess of 700 degrees. I doubt whats on the market today has any issues tow orry about, as stated the Cdale frames were tempered.

It would take a peice of standard billet aluminum over 11 hours at 400degrees to change molecular properties and most experts agree it doesnt change enough to cause fatigue issues. Other aluminum can be harmed but none thats currently being used in atv frames.

[TNT]

Pappy this is not billet AL that’s a totally different story, this is cast aluminum. Here’s a quick goggle.

The tensile, fatigue, fracture toughness, and fatigue crack growth properties of cast aluminum alloys A201-T7 and A357-T6 were evaluated at 250 F and 400 F. The tensile strength of A201-T7 decreased slightly at 250 F and dropped markedly at 400 F.
http://www.stormingmedia.us/78/7843/A784361.html

Heres the guide I use often look under 5000 al alloy common in casting, tensile property loss starts around 250F more severe at 400F as stated in the goggle. http://www2.tech.purdue.edu/at/courses/at308/Technical_Links/MMPDS/MMPDS-01.pdf

Look at how it affects fatigue live.

I could but some graphs out here that you all would just debate so I won’t bother. DS design will be unique to itself, can’t compare to bikes, other quads, frames, and localized heating.....

I won’t be one of the first to try it, mine looks great with a brush on tuff coat why risk it but XRX and whoever go for it! Put up the pics.

[Pappy]

That is why I stated the burn off temp, coating it really wont cause an issue, but stripping it down the road will. The article doesnt state the dwell time at those temps either, which can and will make a difference in regards to the data

Ive discussed this with can am before....and you dont see many of them here for coating.

[TNT]

Yeah and you know these are just guides that can be applied to designs of sorts thats why I said each design is unique to itself and has to be evaluated. There are some generalities but something like this swing arm I am not willing to take the risk let somoeone else do it....Heck everyone tell BRP it does look nice but honestly in all the years I've been going racing I have not seen a one that I can remember anyway, not that they are not out there.

[TNT]

Other thing Pappy the property we want to note is the "Modulus of Elasticity" or it's elastic range where the molecules as you put it start to "creep".....If your real tech look at 5000 series MOE, and "creep strengths" at elevated temps to get an idea.

[xrxmxcx]

We have thought about the burn-off process down the road, but we have a few swing-arms here so they can be swapped around before we have to break down and manually remove the PC or whats left of it.

:devil:

[BCS Performance]

My powdercoater removes our powdercoat on aluminum with a strip tank, All our steel stuff is burned off but any aluminum stuff that we remove powdercoat on we use a strip tank that is just chemicals. There is no heat involved.