Anyone used any HDPE chemical treatments with success?

MidOhioHydrographics

I am going to be doing some testing here soon. We need a fast and inexpensive alternative to flame treatment on HDPE panels. We are coating about 26 large panels daily for dipping (about 24" x 32"). To be honest, flame treatment with our Shrinkfast style flame gun and wiping with isopropyl alcohol is pretty darn fast. Probably about 1 minute per panel. We then spray it with NanoChem AP and paint with Aqualac. So it's pretty darn fast. For it to be worthwhile, it would have to eliminate the hands-on time of flame treatment all together, and only be a spray on option that would take the place of the AP. Hand scrubbing would be too slow.

Has anyone used anything that works?

I have a couple guys on FB (automotive refinish guys) saying they use one from U-POL and another from out of the country. Then OB Obremski said he uses SX-01 which I have heard is great, but I'm pretty sure we have tested it before. But it's pretty expensive. Not sure if it would offset the cost of flame treatment.

WileECoyote

Have you contacted Prime Coatings or looked into a sheet flame treater?

http://www.rlsenterprises.com/RLS_Sheet_Flame_Treater.html

MidOhioHydrographics

Well that's interesting... But as fast as it is for a person to do it, not worth that size of machine. Maybe if we had a continuous flow part delivery system.

Contacting Prime now actually. Also contacted Marc Devaud to see what he has.

WileECoyote

I didn't figure you would need a machine, I just wanted to share what I found...

K2Concepts

In talking to Marc? I don’t think any chemical treatment is as fast as flame treating...nothing we have found...and SX-01 can be finicky...sometimes we will get a weird fish eye with using it...

We have had pretty good luck sand blasting with AO and going straight to solvent paint...still testing but so far so good...

MidOhioHydrographics

Nice. Blasting isn't an option though. Parts are too large and the flame treatment would be much faster.

Great to know for smaller parts though, especially parts which may easily deform with flaming.

Trouble

I have tried just about everything out there. Scuff or blast, Flame and epoxy primer has never let me down. I was using sx-01 for about a year now I had thoroughly tested with epoxy and straight nano chem paint to the Sx-01 with no issues until last week. I dropped part and chipped and I was able to peel it like a banana not sure if we missed a step on that part the rest of the parts in the batch were ok. I have gotten the occasional fish eye like Jim mentioned, just a tiny spec every now and then it was rare and I though It may be the final prep not wiped off. I did not make the connection until he mentioned it. It has only happened to HDPE parts so it has to be the SX-01.

MidOhioHydrographics

Great info. Thanks @Trouble!

preed

I've tried a few to include a failed sx-01... I agree with Trouble, never had a flame treated epoxy primer job fail, sooo that's what I do. 
Wasnt one hit wonder a HDPE paint? I thought it was but have never tried it. I'd love to skip the flame myself but I still do.

MidOhioHydrographics

No, OHW requires flame treatment for HDPE also.

We honestly aren't sure if anything will be as cost effective as flame treatment. It's pretty darn fast. Here's a video, and afterward he said he knew I was taking a video so he did it extra. LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcatSZRRO3g

K2Concepts

Good technique...

NotSoFast

A flame spreader on your regular propane torch will go a long way to making this process go more quickly.

DeviousDips

Nice torch set up

MidOhioHydrographics

NotSoFast said:

A flame spreader on your regular propane torch will go a long way to making this process go more quickly.

I have the spreadest flame I could find. Did you watch the video?

K2Concepts

Those things scare the poogies out of me...I still have not recovered from using that thing at Brent's couple years back...I was like "Daaaang"....

NotSoFast

MidOhioHydrographics said:

NotSoFast said:

A flame spreader on your regular propane torch will go a long way to making this process go more quickly.

I have the spreadest flame I could find. Did you watch the video?

Bolt a spade shovel onto the end of that thing. One pass would suffice.