Two coating processes, one company, and a straight answer on what we can meet

Defense components must perform in sand, salt, cold, and hard use. Great Dane protects them with powder coating, electrocoating, or both. We run two dedicated plants, so we match the process to the part. Send us your specification and we will confirm what we can meet before you ship.

What defense parts does Great Dane coat?

Great Dane coats a range of defense and government components. Common jobs include brackets, housings, frames, and enclosures. We also coat mounts, hardware, panels, and structural assemblies. Fabricated steel assemblies and machined components run through our lines regularly. We coat steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and alloy steels. Part sizes run from small hardware to large fabricated sections. Volumes run from short qualification lots to repeat contract orders. Primes, subcontractors, and component suppliers all use our plants. Some parts are visible and need a consistent, specified color. Others are structural or enclosed, so corrosion protection comes first. Many defense parts need both at once. Because we run powder coating and electrocoating in two dedicated plants, we can take the whole list. That means one vendor, one point of contact, and one accountable partner. If you are not sure which process fits a part, send us the drawing. Our team makes that call every day, and we will explain the reasoning.

How do powder coating and e-coating protect defense components?

Defense equipment serves in conditions most parts never see. It meets desert heat and sand, arctic cold, salt spray, humidity, chemicals, and hard field use. A coating has to handle all of it. Powder coating applies a charged dry powder that heat cures into a hard film. That film resists chipping, scratching, abrasion, UV fading, and chemical exposure. It also delivers the consistent color a drawing calls for. Electrocoating works differently. Our e-coat system runs an eight-stage zinc phosphate pretreatment, then the electrocoat application. Racked parts enter a charged bath of Axalta AquaEC 6000 series coating. An automatic voltage control system delivers uniform film thickness regardless of the square footage being coated. The film reaches recessed edges, seams, weld joints, and interior cavities where corrosion starts. When a part needs both, we apply a dual-layer finish. An e-coat primer goes on first, then a powder topcoat over it. The e-coat guards the metal from the inside out, and the powder guards the surface from the outside in. Learn more on our E-Coating and Dual-Layer Coating pages.

How does Great Dane handle defense specifications and requirements?

Defense work runs on documented requirements, so we handle them directly. Great Dane does not claim compliance with a standard we have not verified for your part. That is a deliberate policy. A coating claim that fails at first article inspection costs you far more than an honest answer costs us. Here is how it works. Send us the drawing, the coating callout, and the specification number. We review it against our processes, our materials, and our equipment.

Then we tell you three things:

  • What we can meet,
  • What we would need to qualify first,
  • and what we cannot do.

You get that answer before you ship a single part. If your contract requires documentation, tell us what the package needs and we will tell you what we can supply. The same discipline runs through the plant. Quality Manager Kendrick Bolish brings over ten years of quality engineering experience, a Six Sigma Green Belt, and an ISO 9000 background. Our rework rate stays below 1%. All of our coating work is performed in our two Pennsylvania plants.

What color, finish, and masking options are available?

Color consistency matters on defense work. A part that ships in a slightly different shade than the last run creates a problem at assembly. Powder coating delivers a uniform finish, batch after batch. We match color to the reference you provide, whether that is a chip, a color number, or a callout on the drawing. Send us the requirement and we will confirm what we can match before you commit. We offer a range of gloss levels and textured finishes as well. Masking is the other half of this work. Defense parts are full of threaded holes, machined faces, bearing surfaces, and grounding points that must stay bare. Our masking program uses conductive silicone plugs that mask the hole and support the part on the rack. For ferrous parts, we use custom silicone masks with high-temperature magnets molded in. Those masks are reusable, rated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and leave no tape residue. Getting masking right protects thread fit, electrical continuity, and your assembly time.

How does Great Dane support large contract runs and schedules?

Contract schedules do not move, so ours cannot either. Great Dane runs a 5-day standard turnaround on most work. When a job needs to move faster, we can often accommodate it. Ask us early and we will tell you honestly what is possible. Capacity is part of the answer. Our 18,000 square foot powder coating plant and 6,000 square foot e-coating plant handle production volume. We take repeat contract runs and short qualification lots through the same disciplined process. Consistency is the other part. Parts that meet spec the first time do not come back onto your schedule or your budget. We also handle the work around the coating. That includes sandblasting, pretreatment, masking, labeling, and line-ready packaging. Light assembly is available as well. Every step we handle is a step you do not have to schedule, ship, or manage. One point of contact stays with your program from quote through delivery.

Why choose Great Dane for defense coating?

Great Dane has coated industrial parts for manufacturers since 1991. Owner and General Manager Gary Lamolinara has led the company from the very beginning. We offer powder coating and electrocoating from one company, in two dedicated plants. Most competitors offer one process or the other. Offering both means we recommend the process that fits your part, not the process we happen to run. Quality is built in upfront rather than caught at final inspection. Plant Manager Colton Adams drove our rework rate from about 3% down below 1%. Both of our processes are also cleaner than traditional liquid paint. Powder coating uses no solvents and emits negligible volatile organic compounds. Electrocoating uses a water-based bath and recovers excess material in the rinse stages. Neither creates the solvent waste stream that spray painting does. That matters as defense programs report against environmental targets.

We serve manufacturers and contractors throughout the eastern United States and across the eastern seaboard from Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Tell us about your parts, volumes, and specifications. We will give you a straight answer and a clear quote.

Ready to talk about your defense components?

Send us your part list, volumes, specifications, and target dates. We will tell you what we can meet, recommend a process, then quote it. Call 724-537-9709 or request a quote today. We deliver on time and on budget, with no hidden fees.

You can learn more about the markets we provide coating services for on our Industries Served page.