Common Powder Coating Gun Problems and Their Solutions

Having your powder coating gun stop spraying powder well can be problematic and cost you time. This guide will provide you helpful tips on how to troubleshoot your powder coating gun’s performance so you can get your powder coating gun back up and running.

Common Powder Coating Gun Problem # 1 – Uneven Powder Coating Gun Pattern or Pulsing Powder Coating while Spraying

If your powder is pulsing while spraying then there are a few areas to check that may be the source of your problems.

• First you can check the powder nozzle for excessive wear. Over time if your powder coating nozzle wears it can create uneven patterns or even issues with pulsing. The nozzle would be the first part to consider replacing if pulsing is an issue for your powder coating gun.
• If it is not the nozzle that is worn next you can check the gun for any blockages. If you had moisture in your powder the powder coating gun can become backed up with powder creating inconsistent powder delivery and pulsating while coating. To see if this is your issue you can disconnect the powder feed hose and attempt to blow out the powder gun to see if powder has become lodged inside the gun.
• After checking the nozzle and gun, you should review your powder hose. One potential solution for pulsating powder problems is considering a larger diameter powder hose, this can help prevent issues with powder lodging in your powder lines as powder is sprayed and can help prevent the powder hose from becoming kinked when being bent as you use the powder gun which can help reduce potential pulsating issues.
• Check the air lines for your powder pump – over time powder pump lines can wear out creating poor performance of your powder pump , checking the lines for any obvious cracks and/or replacing them can help to ensure the powder pump lines are not the source of the problem.
• A final potential source of issues with uneven pulsating powder coating can be a worn powder coating supply pump. Box and hopper feed powder coating units have a powder supply pump that delivers powder to the powder coating gun. Over time the pump can become worn preventing consistent powder delivery.

Common Powder Coating Gun Problem # 2 – Poor Powder Wrap around your target

If your powder coating gun seems to have lost a good wrap all of a sudden a few common issues may be occurring.

• One of the most frequent potential causes of poor powder wrap is having poor grounding of you the product your powder coating. This would be the first thing to check to see if you have a good ground, our guide on grounding for powder coating can help further.
• If you have established your ground is good then you will want to check the condition of your powder coating electrode. Many powder coating gun electrodes will be surrounded by a protective housing to prevent them from being damaged. If you notice the housing or electrode needle looks damaged then you will need to consider replacing the electrode so that you can properly apply a charge to the powder again.
• If you have reviewed your ground and powder coating gun needle but are still having problems, you can also review if your powder coating controller is giving you any error codes that would indicate that your control unit is not delivering even consistent power to your powder coating gun.

Common Powder Coating Gun Problem # 3 – Contaminated coats when Powder Coating

If you noticed that you are getting cross contamination when changing powder coating colors this typically will happen if your powder unit is not thoroughly cleaned in between colors. If cross contamination is giving you problems you will want to consider disconnecting your units powder line and blowing it out with a compressed air line in between coats and even consider using something like an ear plug to thoroughly clean the line prior to a new color.

Ultimately having problems with your powder coating gun can be a headache.  However by following the suggestions in this guide you can be more likely to fix your powder coating gun if it is not working the way it should be.