Coatings Cafe
Orange Peel
Defect Description
Orange peel defines uneven paint surface texture –it looks like the skin of an orange.
The paint film shows surface roughness caused by small bumps surrounded by valleys and looks like the surface of an orange. These bumps form due to poor leveling and flow.
Also known as: poor flow, bad leveling, bad peel
Possible Causes of Defect
1. Low film build-especially with the clearcoat layer
2. Paint viscosity is too high
3. Improper Solvent Reduction of paint
4. High Paint application Booth Temperatures
5. Improper gun distance -often too far from target
6. Improper air atomization of paint
Tips to Avoid Defect
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1. Achieve the film build target-especially the clearcoat layer
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2. Check the paint viscosity at the application temperature
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3. Use the correct solvent reduction
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4. Apply paint in the recommended temperature range
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5. Set proper gun distance-too far can lead to bad orange peel
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6. Select atomization based on technical data sheet
How to Repair the Defect?
- Consult your specific paint shop procedures.
- Finesse Deck: Sand plus 2-step Polish
- Spot Repair: Sand plus Repaint