Custom-Shaped High Temp Green Polyester Die Cut for Masking
A large automotive brake company needed to mask off several different areas of a brake caliper. Viadon's team of professionals got together and found a mix of stock and custom parts to mask off the part successfully, and at the lowest cost / greatest efficiency for the company masking personnel.
The first thing Viadon needed to do was understand what areas on the part were not to be powder coated. An in-person discussion with someone familiar with the part allowed for a good understanding of the coating requirements.
Next, Viadon assessed the best methods to mask all areas - balancing time, ease-of-masking, and costs. A mix of stock die cut disks, silicone pull plugs, and a mask for two oddly-shaped, mirror-image areas on one section of the caliper.
Stock tape disks and regular green polyester tape cut by hand were eliminated as options due to the additional time it would take to manually cut them. Therefore, a custom-shaped high temperature green polyester die cut was evaluated and proposed as the best solution to masking this particular brake caliper part.
For the custom die cut, Viadon designed the shape to extend slightly beyond the edges of the metal itself, while hugging the parts profile-outline. This would allow for masking of inconsistent castings so personnel could quickly mask the parts - allowing for some leeway in applying the tape die cuts. The brake calipers themselves are not all perfectly cast, so the tolerance-friendly masking of slightly-oversized die cuts account for variation from part to part.
Prototypes were made on Viadon's plotter-cutter and tested. The fit was perfect!
By replacing manual hand-masking with precision-shaped die cuts, the masking personnel achieved a 50% to 75% increase in throughput, eliminating the bottleneck at the masking station.
Request a Quote for Custom Die Cuts or call us at 866-534-3900 to discuss your part's geometry. We provide plotter-cut samples in 24-48 hours.
| Feature |
Specification / Benefit |
| Material Used |
High Temperature Green Polyester |
| Temp Resistance |
Up to 400°F (204°C) |
| Adhesive Type |
Silicone (Clean removal, no residue) |
| Application |
Automotive Brake Caliper Powder Coating |
| Labor Impact |
50-75% Reduction vs. manual trimming |
| Prototyping |
CNC Plotter-cut for immediate testing |