Answers to Your Questions About Sandblasting & Painting, Powder Coating, Industrial Finishing & More

Blucoat provides a broad range of industrial finishing services, including robotic powder coating, industrial powder coating, liquid coating and painting, sandblasting and surface preparation, polyurea applications, and fabricated component finishing.

We work with manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, OEMs, equipment companies, and other businesses that need reliable, high-quality finishing. Our capabilities include both high-volume production and finishing for larger components, depending on the part size, material, configuration, and coating requirements.

Learn more about our industrial finishing services.

Robotic powder coating uses automated equipment to apply powder coating with a high degree of consistency and repeatability. This can be particularly valuable for manufacturers and fabricators producing large quantities of similar components.

Blucoat uses robotic application to help provide consistent coverage and finish throughout production runs. Automation can also help us maintain repeatable application while supporting the production volumes required for demanding industrial projects.

Learn more about Blucoat’s powder coating services and how robotic application can support your project.

Yes. Blucoat has experience handling substantial production quantities.

Our equipment and production capabilities are designed to support customers that need both volume and consistency. If you have a large production run, contact us with your part information, quantities, specifications, and timeline so we can discuss your requirements.

Learn more about high-volume powder coating.

Yes. Blucoat provides data center powder coating and component finishing for manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, and suppliers involved in data center projects.

Depending on the size, material, configuration, and coating requirements, we can finish components such as Unistrut, structural supports, brackets, cable management components, electrical enclosures, equipment frames, racks, and other fabricated assemblies.

Learn more about our data center powder coating and finishing services.

We finish a wide variety of fabricated metal components and assemblies, depending on their size, material, configuration, and finishing requirements.

Examples can include structural supports, brackets, frames, racks, equipment housings, electrical enclosures, cable management components, and other fabricated parts used in industrial, commercial, construction, and data center applications.

If you’re unsure whether your part is suitable for our equipment, contact us with the dimensions and specifications. We can discuss your project before you arrange for parts to be shipped or delivered.

Yes. Many of our customers already have a powder system specified by their customer, project, engineer, or other stakeholder. Approximately 95% of our powder coating jobs have a specified powder system.

When a system is specified, we can work with the appropriate supplier to obtain the required product and apply it according to the project’s requirements.

Quality control is an important part of our industrial finishing process. Blucoat monitors several factors that can affect coating performance and consistency.

Our capabilities include daily manual titration, pH and TDS testing for our powder coating washer tanks, in-house impact testing, cross-hatch adhesion testing, digital pull-off adhesion testing, blast-profile measurements, dry powder and cured film thickness measurements, soluble salt testing for blast media, surface chloride testing, and environmental monitoring for humidity, temperature, and dew point.

We also use an oven logger to monitor curing conditions.

These capabilities allow us to evaluate important aspects of surface preparation, coating application, adhesion, film thickness, and curing rather than relying solely on visual inspection.

Blucoat can accommodate parts up to 84 inches diagonally for powder coating, depending on the part’s dimensions, configuration, material, and coating requirements.

We also have significant blasting capabilities, including a large manual blasting booth and a high-speed shot blaster. Our shot blaster offers a 48-inch by 77-inch part window, significantly increasing blasting throughput and expanding our ability to pursue larger, higher-end, and high-specification coating projects.

It depends on the job and what is necessary to deliver a great finished product. We work hard to ensure our customers get the best value for their money. With that in mind, a typical day cab tractor full refinish job can start at $5,500. The usual price for a full semi-truck including cab, hood, and sleeper tends to start around $8,000.

These are base prices, and additional items and services such as parts removal and reinstallation, excessive bodywork, and extra parts requiring paint can all increase the cost. For a better idea on your semi truck painting costs, give us a call and tell us about your project needs. We will be able to give you a free quote based on the job’s requirements.

There is a lot you can do that will help lower the cost for your truck’s service, especially where painting and sandblasting are concerned. Some of the things you can do include removing all the accessories before we receive the truck, such as the exhaust stacks, mirrors, lights, air cleaners, and fenders.

You can also haul the truck to our refinish center or arrange your own delivery otherwise, although that may end up costing you more depending on price. We do not mind when customers’ trucks arrive on a trailer with the cab, sleeper, and hood separate. However, we are also happy to do all that for you, too.

Properly preparing a truck for paint takes time and attention. Seemingly small tasks that may just take several minutes when a truck is new can suddenly take hours. This is usually due to the realities that come with racking up the many years and hundreds of thousands of miles of use.

One of the most damaging aspects of long-haul driving is the salted roads that contribute to rusted and corroded fasteners on the truck’s body. Careful removal with specialized tools takes time.

Additionally, after sandblasting, the paint we use to repair is expensive, as to be expected in a quality product that will provide the protection and coverage necessary to keep the investment of your vehicle secure.

Outside of sandblasting and painting, we provide a variety of coating application and finishing services to meet the needs of industrial customers and vehicle owners. This includes industrial painting, polyurea coating applications for a variety of industries and applications, spray-in bedliner application, heavy equipment painting, refinishing, minor surface repairs, and more.

Our newer capabilities also include robotic powder coating, high-volume powder coating, large-part finishing, and finishing for fabricated components used in applications such as data center construction.

Blucoat is located near Milbank, South Dakota, and serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest, including North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

We also work with customers who ship components to our facility for finishing. If you are outside our immediate service area, contact us to discuss your project and shipping requirements.

Contact Blucoat online or call 605-924-2040 to discuss your project.

For the most accurate quote, provide as much information as possible about your parts or equipment, including dimensions, material, quantity, desired coating, specifications, surface preparation requirements, and project timeline.

If you have drawings, coating specifications, or other project documentation, let us know. The more we understand about your requirements, the better we can determine the appropriate finishing approach.

That’s okay. You don’t necessarily need to determine the finishing process before contacting us.

Blucoat has extensive experience with different preparation methods and coating systems. We can discuss your substrate, application, performance requirements, specifications, and desired finish to help determine what approach may be appropriate.