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Analysis of the Core Differences between Powder Coating and Dip Coating in the Anti-Corrosion Process of Waveform Guardrails

Release time:

2025-12-10

In road traffic safety facilities, the anti-corrosion performance of wave-beam guardrails directly determines their service life and protective effect. Spray coating and dip coating are the two most commonly used anti-corrosion processes for wave-beam guardrails. Although both use "plastic" as the anti-corrosion medium, they differ significantly in process principles, coating characteristics, applicable scenarios and other aspects. This article will deeply analyze the differences between the two from multiple dimensions to provide reference for relevant practitioners and purchasers.

1、Process Principle: "Spraying" vs "Soaking", Core Operations Are Greatly Different

Spray coating process, also known as powder spraying, its core is to achieve coating adhesion through electrostatic adsorption principle. The specific process is: first, perform degreasing, derusting, phosphating and other pre-treatments on the wave-beam guardrail substrate (usually Q235 steel) to remove surface oil stains and rust and enhance coating adhesion; then spray the powder coating (commonly epoxy resin, polyester resin, etc.) through a spray gun, and use electrostatic action to make the powder evenly adsorb on the guardrail surface; finally, send the guardrail adsorbed with powder into a curing oven for curing at a high temperature of 180-220℃, and the powder melts to form a dense coating.

Dip coating process, also known as hot dip coating, adopts a physical attachment method of "soaking - melting - cooling". Its process is: similarly, first perform strict pre-treatment on the substrate to ensure a clean surface; then preheat the substrate to a certain temperature (usually 200-300℃), and then immerse it into a dip coating tank filled with molten plastic powder (mainly polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.); the high temperature of the substrate makes the contacted plastic powder melt quickly and attach to the surface, and at the same time, because the substrate temperature is higher than the plastic powder melting point, a uniform coating will be formed; finally, take out the dip-coated guardrail and cool it naturally or forcedly to solidify the coating.

2、Coating Characteristics: Thickness, Compactness and Appearance Have Their Own Advantages and Disadvantages

Coating Thickness

The coating thickness of the spray coating process is relatively thin, usually between 60-120μm. Due to the spray adsorption, the controllability of the coating thickness is strong, which can be accurately controlled within the preset range, suitable for scenarios with strict requirements on coating thickness. However, limited by the process, the spray coating is difficult to achieve a thick thickness. If thickening is required, multiple sprays are needed, which will increase construction cost and time.

The coating thickness of the dip coating process is significantly thicker, generally between 200-500μm, and can reach a thicker thickness in some special demand scenarios. Because the substrate is immersed in the molten plastic powder, the plastic powder will fully wrap the substrate surface to form a thick protective layer. This thick coating has more advantages in impact resistance and wear resistance, but the thickness uniformity is slightly worse than that of spray coating, especially in complex parts such as the corners and welds of the guardrail, where uneven thickness may occur.

Compactness and Adhesion

After high-temperature curing, the spray coating has a hard texture and good compactness, which can effectively block the intrusion of external corrosive media such as moisture and oxygen. Its adhesion mainly relies on the electrostatic adsorption and chemical combination between the substrate surface after pre-treatment and the powder coating. In normal use environment, the adhesion is stable and not easy to fall off.

Because the dip coating is molten plastic powder attached to the preheated substrate, it will form a strong physical interlocking effect with the substrate after cooling, and the adhesion is usually better than that of the spray coating. Its compactness is also excellent. The structure of the thick coating makes it more difficult for corrosive media to penetrate, especially suitable for use in harsh corrosive environments such as humidity, high salt spray and high dust. However, if the substrate pre-treatment is not thorough, or the temperature control during the dip coating process is improper, problems such as coating blistering and falling off may occur.

Appearance Effect

The spray coating has higher appearance flatness and better color uniformity, and can present a delicate and smooth surface effect. Due to the strong controllability of the spraying process, it can realize the customization of various colors, and the color saturation is high, not easy to fade. Common spray coating guardrail colors include white, blue, green, etc., which are widely used in urban roads, scenic spots and other places with high requirements on appearance.

The surface of the dip coating is relatively slightly rough with a certain granular feeling, and the appearance flatness is slightly inferior to that of the spray coating. Its color selection is also rich, but the color uniformity is slightly poor, and some colors may have slight color difference. However, the dip coating has stronger weather resistance. In long-term natural environments such as sun exposure and rain, the color retention is better than that of the spray coating, suitable for long-term use in outdoor open-air environments.

3、Applicable Scenarios: Choose on Demand to Adapt to Different Usage Needs

The advantage of the spray coating process lies in its beautiful appearance and controllable coating thickness, which is suitable for scenarios with high requirements on appearance and relatively mild corrosive environment. For example: wave-beam guardrails in urban main roads, secondary roads, community roads, scenic trails and other places; the guardrails in these places not only need to have basic anti-corrosion performance, but also need to coordinate with the surrounding environment to improve the overall beauty. In addition, the spray coating process has high construction efficiency, suitable for mass and standardized guardrail production.

The dip coating process, with its excellent corrosion resistance, impact resistance and thick coating, is more suitable for scenarios with harsh corrosive environment and high requirements on protective performance. For example: wave-beam guardrails in expressways, coastal roads, mine roads, industrial area roads and other places; the guardrails in these places are long-term faced with tests such as sun exposure and rain, salt spray erosion, vehicle impact, etc., and the dip coating can provide more durable and reliable protection. At the same time, the service life of dip-coated guardrails is usually longer than that of spray-coated guardrails, which can reduce later maintenance costs.

4、Cost Comparison: Trade-off Between Initial Investment and Later Maintenance

In terms of initial construction cost, the equipment investment of the spray coating process is relatively low, the utilization rate of powder coating is high, and the construction efficiency is fast, so the construction cost per square meter is slightly lower than that of the dip coating process. The dip coating process requires large-scale equipment such as dip coating tanks and preheating furnaces, with large equipment investment, and the plastic powder will have a certain loss during the soaking process, so the construction cost per square meter is relatively high.

In terms of later maintenance cost, due to the longer service life and stronger corrosion resistance of dip-coated guardrails, the probability of corrosion and damage during use is lower, and the number of later maintenance and costs are also less. The spray-coated guardrails may have problems such as coating aging and falling off in harsh environments, which need regular maintenance and re-spraying, and the long-term maintenance cost is relatively high. Therefore, when choosing the process, it is necessary to comprehensively weigh the initial investment and later maintenance cost in combination with the use environment and service life requirements.

5、Summary: Precisely Choose the Appropriate Process According to Needs

As the mainstream anti-corrosion processes for wave-beam guardrails, spray coating and dip coating have no absolute advantages or disadvantages. The key lies in whether they are suitable for the use scenario and actual needs. Simply put: if you focus on beautiful appearance, uniform coating thickness and mild corrosion in the use environment, you should choose the spray coating process first; if you pursue stronger corrosion resistance and impact resistance, and the use environment is harsh (such as coastal areas, mines, industrial areas, etc.), the dip coating process is more suitable.

In the actual procurement and construction process, it is recommended to combine various factors such as project budget, use environment, service life, and appearance requirements, communicate with professional guardrail manufacturers, and choose the anti- corrosion process that best meets their own needs, so as to ensure that the wave-beam guardrail can give full play to its safety protection role and extend its service life.

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