Stove enamelling is the curing of a paint or coating on metal at elevated temperature in a purpose-built oven. The heat lets the coating flow out and cross-link chemically into a hard, closed film that adheres far better and is much more wear-resistant than a layer dried at room temperature.
The Dutch and German names — moffelen, Einbrennlackierung — refer to the muffle: the enclosed oven chamber in which the workpiece is heated indirectly, so that flames and combustion gases never touch the coating.
Two routes
Wet stoving. A liquid stoving paint is sprayed and then cured in the oven. True stoving paints cross-link from around 130 °C upwards. For the controlled drying of ordinary wet paints much lower temperatures are also used, in the order of 70 °C.
Powder coating. Electrostatically applied powder is melted and cured in the oven, typically between about 160 and 220 °C depending on the powder. This is by far the most widely used version today, and no solvents are released.
| Wet stoving | Liquid stoving paint is sprayed, then cured in the oven; true stoving paints cross-link from around 130 °C upwards |
|---|---|
| Powder coating | Electrostatically applied powder is melted and cured, typically at about 160 to 220 °C depending on the powder; most widely used today, no solvents released |
Where you meet it in building
Practically every coloured metal component on or in a building is stove enamelled or powder coated: aluminium windows and facade panels, steel door frames, balustrades, railings, radiators, office furniture and services cabinets. The RAL colour you specify for an aluminium window is applied this way.
Points to watch
- Heat-resistant substrates only. The workpiece has to survive oven temperature. Timber, plastics and fitted gaskets or glazing cannot go into the oven — so coating always happens before assembly, in the factory or at a specialist finisher
- Pre-treatment determines service life. Degreasing, blasting or chemical pre-treatment matters at least as much as the coating itself. On a greasy or rusty substrate any coating will fail
- Duplex systems. For external steelwork, hot-dip galvanising followed by powder coating gives by far the longest life
- Site repairs. Damage cannot be re-stoved. It is touched in with an air-drying repair paint that never matches the original hardness and gloss — so handle coated components carefully and leave the protective film on until the last moment
- Dimensions. A coating is typically a few tens of micrometers thick. Allow for that at tight tolerances, hinges and locks
Related terms
- Powder coating
- Hot-dip galvanising
- Coating
- Anodising
- Aluminium window
- Micrometer
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