Two coating processes, one company, for assets that stay in service for decades
Energy equipment sits outside for decades and cannot come down for maintenance. Great Dane protects it with powder coating, electrocoating, or both. We coat switchgear enclosures, solar racking, cabinets, and support structures. For equipment in coastal or industrial air, an e-coat primer under powder adds dual-layer protection.
What energy and utility equipment does Great Dane coat?
Great Dane coats equipment across the energy and utility sector. In transmission and distribution, that includes switchgear enclosures, pad-mount cabinets, meter housings, junction boxes, and mounting hardware. It also includes racks, frames, brackets, and support structures. In renewable energy, we coat solar racking, mounting rails, clamps, brackets, and combiner box enclosures. On the wind side, we coat nacelle components, control cabinets, platform sections, and mounting assemblies. We do not coat wind turbine tower sections, which need a facility built around that size. In power generation, we coat enclosures, walkways, handrails, cable tray, and support steel. We also coat skids, enclosures, and structural steel for natural gas compression and midstream operations. We coat steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and alloy steels. Because we run powder coating and electrocoating in two dedicated plants, we can match the process to the part. If you have a part and are not sure it fits our envelope, send dimensions and weight. We will tell you straight.
How do powder coating and e-coating protect energy equipment?
Energy equipment has a long service life and a hard maintenance story. A substation cabinet may sit outdoors for thirty years. Taking it out of service to recoat costs far more than the coating ever did. So the finish has to last. Powder coating applies a charged dry powder that heat cures into a hard film. That film resists corrosion, chipping, abrasion, UV fading, and chemical exposure. UV performance matters most on equipment that never sees shade. 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 inside seams, weld joints, folded edges, and enclosure corners. Sheet metal enclosures are full of exactly those, and they are where corrosion starts. For equipment in coastal air, industrial air, or heavy road salt, we apply a dual-layer finish. An e-coat primer goes on first, then a powder topcoat over it. Learn more on our E-Coating and Dual-Layer Coating pages.
What color, finish, and masking options are available?
Utility equipment usually has a color standard, and it is rarely negotiable. We work from stock colors when speed matters and from special order colors when the match has to be exact. Send us a color number, a paint code, a sample panel, or a piece of existing equipment. We will confirm what we can match before you commit. Gray to the common electrical equipment standards is a routine request. We also offer a range of gloss levels and textured finishes. Masking is where electrical work gets particular. Grounding points, bonding surfaces, and contact faces have to stay bare and conductive. A coated ground pad is a callback at best. 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. Mark your bare surfaces on the drawing and we will confirm the masking plan before we start.
How does Great Dane handle large infrastructure projects and schedules?
Energy projects run on long lead times and hard in-service dates. A substation build or a solar installation has a commissioning window, and coated steel arriving late holds up everything downstream. 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 OEM runs and one-time project lots through the same process. Consistency is the other part. Our rework rate stays below 1%. Parts that meet spec the first time do not come back onto your schedule. We also handle the work around the coating. That includes sandblasting, pretreatment, masking, labeling, and packaging for the field. Labeling matters on a staged project, because parts that arrive marked and sorted go up faster. One point of contact stays with your project from quote through delivery.
Why choose Great Dane for energy 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. That matters more in energy than in most sectors, because a sheet metal enclosure and a welded support frame call for different answers. 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%. Quality Manager Kendrick Bolish oversees the systems that hold it there. 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. A finish that lasts also means fewer recoats over the life of the asset. We serve manufacturers throughout the eastern United States and across the eastern seaboard from Southwestern Pennsylvania. Tell us your parts, volumes, and in-service dates.
Ready to coat your energy equipment?
Send us your part list, volumes, color standard, and in-service dates. We will recommend powder coating, e-coating, or a dual-layer finish, 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.