With the economy on a long, sluggish recovery, the business of wheel refinishing should be a natural, given the fact that commercial customers are being squeezed out of their once healthy margins. With fleet owners hanging onto vehicles longer, a bit of maintenance work and a fresh set of wheels can make older trucks look like a million bucks.
In addition to the aesthetic value of wheel refinishing, there is also the matter of safety. During the refinishing process, refinishers can uncover cracks in the wheel face plate that can go undetected because of paint build-up.
One solution for wheel and rim refinishing comes from International Marketing Inc. (IMI). The company says its Series 2020 Shot Blast Module removes existing paint coatings in three minutes. This is possible through the use of a much smaller, blended mix of shot particles.
During the process of removing existing coatings, the etched profile is redefined as a smoother surface. The coating application is said to be “forgiving,” with easy clean-up. The newly refinished wheel can be ready for your commercial accounts in just 24 hours. The company says it applies a durable high gloss finish with more than 2,400-plus hours of salt spray protection for the customer.
Important to the process is “electrostatic application,” which allows the powder coating to be attracted to the wheel in a way that is similar to “static cling.” In others words, the powder coating doesn’t run – it instead moves around corners to ensure full coverage.
Continuing with the process, the newly refinished wheel makes its way along a monorail system in and through an infrared curing oven. The painted and finished wheel emerges at the end of the oven ready for use.
One finishing touch remains. The “new look tire paint plus” that dresses up the tire to a like-new condition is a water-based paint that is freeze-thawed, stable and offers a non-streak, matte finish. When dried, the package looks brand new.
