SLEEKFENCE powder coating process: protecting your investment.
If you’re already choosing a premium, lifetime material for your fence like aluminum, you want to make sure its looks won’t fade. With us, you never have to worry about that. The SLEEKFENCE powder coating process ensures your fence will look as good after 20 years as it did on day one.
People will often make the smart choice of picking aluminum as their fencing material, but not take into consideration the coating used to protect it. A metal fence is only as good as its coating! There’s no point in getting a permanent fencing solution if it fades and looks bad after a season of hot summer sun and UV rays.
Our exlusive nano coating process and the 23 steps behind it.
Every SLEEKFENCE panel and post goes through a 23-step powder coating process designed for long-term performance. It begins with deionized cleaning to prep the surface, followed by using an electrostatic charge to apply the powder coating evenly. Each step is verified through in-house quality checks and third-party inspections. The result is a uniform, durable finish that resists fading, corrosion, and surface defects—because aluminum is only as strong as the coating that protects it.
Starting from the bare aluminum metal surface, every SLEEKFENCE panel and post goes through 3 phases of quality control.
Phase 1. Pretreatment layer (nano coating protection layer)
Phase 2. Powder coating (application of Qualicoat Class 02 powder film)
Phase 3. Quality control (Nine quality control tests)
Phase 1. Seven stage pretreatment process.
It starts with preparing the aluminum material properly following our 7-stage pre-treatment process – this is all prior to the actual powdercoat being applied.
FACT – most competitors overlook the importance of this phase, and neglect to test and replace the fluids at these stations regularly. We take it a step further and have a 3rd party quality control body conduct routine inspections of all these tanks & their fluids to ensure they don’t lose integrity/effectiveness.
Phase 2. Three stage powder coating application.
STAGE 1 – DRYING
Following the above pretreatment process, the aluminum materials are then put through a drying process. This must be done at a precise temperature, for a specific time period using oven trackers so as to not damage the NANO COATING PROTECTION LAYER.
STAGE 2 – COATING
Pre-treated components are then immediately transferred to the electrostatic spray coating process in a clean and dry state to avoid deterioration of the pre-treatment integrity. This single coat application is taken in one operation to a minimum film thickness. The coating thickness must not exceed our specifications as our coated components will be treated mechanically after coating such as sawing, milling, drilling, etc. Grounding measurements are conducted on a regular basis. Resistance to ground must always be < 1.0 Megaohm. STAGE 3 – CURING Components once powder coated, must be cured as soon as possible otherwise, the risk of airborne contamination will be high. The powder coating is cured as specified within our powder suppliers recommended curing window. Oven logger / Tracker is used for monitoring this curing parameter at least once a week. Laboratory tests show that a continuous heat up rate of >15°C/min stabilizes the gloss (and appearance) development of coatings.
FACT – the simple task of making sure the drying oven doesn’t get too hot is overlooked by many powdercoaters. In many cases the passivation layer which seals & protects the aluminum is burnt right off.
Phase 3. Nine quality control tests.
| # | TEST | STANDARD | DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | Appearance | SLEEKFENCE | Visual inspection at distance of 15 Feet. |
| 2 | Coating thickness test | ISO 2360 | Check thickness with ultrasonic probe |
| 3 | Gloss level test | ISO 2813 | Check gloss units using gloss meter |
| 4 | Impact test | ISO 6272/ASTM D2794 | Impact followed by tape pull adhesion test |
| 5 | Bend test | ISO 1519 | Bending followed by tape pull adhesion test |
| 6 | Dry adhesion test | ISO 2409 | Cross cut followed by tape pull adhesion test |
| 7 | Wet adhesion test | SLEEKFENCE | Cross cut followed by tape pull adhesion test, in boiling water |
| 8 | Acetic acid salt spray test | ISO 9227 | X-shape scribe down to metal, spray for 1000 hours |
| 9 | Polymerization test | SLEEKFENCE | Wipe with solvent soaked swab |
See visuals for each test above.
FACT: It is extremely rare for a fence manufacturer to conduct this kind of quality control process. These are all optional tests which we choose to conduct on EVERY BATCH of SLEEKFENCE products manufactured. In fact, some of these tests are done on every 3rd profile produced.
In summary:
At SLEEKFENCE, we don’t cut corners. Our coating process is more involved, our materials cost more, and our team is made up of experts, not just operators. That’s why we may cost a bit more than other aluminum fences that look similar at first glance. But this isn’t just about looks. It’s about performance, durability, and peace of mind.
We’ve invested in the best so your fence can look stunning and stay strong for decades. Because when you choose SLEEKFENCE, you’re not just buying a fence. You’re protecting your investment for life.