Precision Epoxy Products
"Your Complete Epoxy Source” ™
division of: Rock Art, Ltd.
"Professionals of Epoxy Applications” ™
Precision Surface Plate
Tabletop Surface Plate
Jig Table and Linear Rails
Epoxy Applications
“When Accuracy Matters” ™
The Perfect Fabrication Starts on a Perfect Surface
Creating a Perfect Surface Plane for your Tabletop
The poured Epoxy Surface Plate can be used to create a perfect tabletop surface to satisfy a variety of applications. Our epoxies are used to make an existing tabletop surface perfect and can be poured over aluminum, steel, wood, plywood or any other surface. Generally, the epoxy is poured to a depth of ¼ inch at a time and as many pours can be made as needed to correct imperfections in the original surface or to create the surface finish desired. No one can match the experience of Rock Art and Precision Epoxy for perfectly flat and level floors, surface plates, test beds, tabletops, jig tables, linear rail mounting surfaces and so on.
The pictured project is an 8' x 17' aluminum structure used by IMSA for the American LeMans Series. The portable unit is taken to each series event and set up to roll the cars across as a part of the inspection area at the track. When this inspection table developed sagging areas, the Precision Epoxy application was chosen to correct the top because of its accuracy, durability, ease of application and was more cost effective than any other option.
Application Techniques
The surface is cleaned and profiled. Cleaning would be the removal of oil, grease, silicone, wax or any other contamination that might inhibit proper bonding. Profiling would be sanding with a course grit paper leaving a rough surface for the epoxy to encapsulate. This project is now ready for its planned 3/16 inch pour of FP-85 Floor Plate Epoxy. Porous surfaces, such as wood, should receive a painted-on epoxy primer as apart of surface preparation before pouring. This will seal the surface and eliminate the creating of air bubbles in the epoxy pour.
The outer perimeter is now fitted with a waterproof retaining lip or wall to contain the epoxy pour. The retaining lip can be temporary and removed after epoxy has cured or permanent and stay in place as a part of the completed table. This project has a temporary lip installed higher than the intended epoxy pour depth.
The lip is created by cleaning the vertical side edge and running 2 strips of duct tape around the perimeter in a detailed fashion. The retaining lip will not have to support any weight to speak of; only stop the flow of epoxy. Other materials that can be used for temporary retaining lips are wood strips, Styrofoam, plastic strips, metal flat stock, etc. The material of choice will need to be made 'watertight' and may also need a mold release agent such as Pam cooking spray or Vaseline applied to keep the epoxy from bonding and making removal difficult.
When using a permanent retaining lip, it also must be 'watertight'. The material used has to be ground down to be flush with final epoxy surface or mounted perfectly level and at exactly the right depth in order for the epoxy pour to fill flush.
This project also had access holes in the surface that needed to be retained in the epoxy overlay. The access holes were of various sizes and simply filled with rubber plugs of the appropriate size to retain. Bolts or treaded rods can also be within the epoxy pour; with an applied mold release coating, a bolt can then be wrenched out of the cured epoxy leaving a treaded hole.
The Precision Epoxy product chosen for your application is then measured to the amount needed at the proper mix ratio, stirred and poured into the prepared surface area. Large projects will require multiple batches to complete. Coverage for a 3/16-inch pour is 8.5 sq ft per gallon and for a ¼ inch pour is 6.4 sq ft per gallon. A 3/16-inch pour is the minimum thickness that should be poured in larger projects to allow for proper flow and leveling characteristics. A ¼ inch pour should be the minimum structural thickness considered for tabletops being used in abusive or aggressive environments. Pours made deeper than ¼ inch may result in distorted surface imperfections due to exotherming heat. This is not necessarily a problem on preliminary pours but would not be desirable for the final poured surface.
The epoxy pour is allowed to cure as needed to reach handling strength, generally over night at room temperature. Cooler application environments may need additional curing times depending on the Precision Epoxy product selected. Additional pours are made as needed until surface reaches desired results.
The retaining lip material is removed and any detail work that may be needed is performed. The epoxy pour will have a rolled meniscus lip at the retaining wall. If the retaining wall is higher than the poured epoxy there will be a rolled-up lip. If the retaining wall is lower than the pour, the epoxy will roll down to the wall top. If the retaining wall is too low, the epoxy will flow over and have a siphon effect. All tabletop projects are not the same and different application techniques may need to be employed to achieve the desired results.
The completed Epoxy pour is allowed to cure and was sanded to remove raised lip at the retaining wall and the access hole plugs. Although the epoxy pour may seem hard after 24 hours, it takes 7 days a 72˚ F for the epoxy to reach its full hardness. Heavy sanding and/or machining should not be attempted until a full cure is reached for best results.
Then the engineers at Panoz Motor Sports Group installed a 3/16-inch aluminum top plate to complete the portable inspection table restoration project and have it ready for the 2011 season.
Contact Precision Epoxy to discuss your particular project's
application technique and for choosing the proper epoxy formulation.
For additional information see:
Laminating and Casting Systems Technical Bulletin
Aerospace Test Bed Movable Platform
Linear Rail Project
Leveling Epoxies are used for our perfectly level applications from
Epoxy Surface Plates to Precision Air Bearing Floors
to CNC Lineal Rail to Tabletop applications
• FP-80 (mix ratio 2:1 / A:B)
Floor Plate Epoxy is a clear self-leveling system for use in Surface Plate applications. This system is extremely hard and can be used in industrial laminating applications that have harsh or punishing environments.
• FP-85 (mix ratio 2:1 / A:B)
Floor Plate Epoxy that is the pigmented version of the FP Series Epoxies for use in Surface Plate applications. Available in 14 standard colors with custom colors available upon request. Both Floor Plate Epoxies are extremely durable, chemical resistant with excellent scratch and impact resistance.
• FP-90 (mix ratio 2:1 / A:B)
Floor Plate Epoxy that is designed for use in the Aerospace Industry Test Bed applications. This 100% solids, zero VOC system, has a very slow rate of cure to achieve the most level and flat surface area possible. The FP-90 provides a perfect surface that is unmatched and allows for the floating of air bearing devices with little to no drift while using minimal air pressure. Available in Black.
• SC-15N (mix ratio 2:1 / A:B)
Steel Casting Epoxy Natural is a clear system formulated for use in machine shops for leveling a wide variety of applications from table tops to linear rail mounting platforms. It offers unparalleled adhesion to properly prepared steel surfaces without delaminating. SC-15N is very durable, chemically resistant and is a poured application with advanced leveling characteristics for extreme accuracy. This version is used for laminating surfaces that may need to be visible under the epoxy overlay.
• SC-15P (mix ratio 2:1 / A:B)
Steel Casting Epoxy Pigmented is a colored system formulated for use in machine shops for leveling a wide variety of applications from table tops to linear rail mounting platforms. The standard color is 'Black' but, it can be pigmented to a color of choice and is excellent for hiding substrate surfaces. It offers unparalleled adhesion to properly prepared steel surfaces without delaminating. SC-15P is very durable, chemically resistant and is a poured application with advanced leveling characteristics for extreme accuracy. This version is pigmented to allow for additional de-air additives which makes this system a less technical application than the SC-15N.
• DECO (mix ratio 1:1 / A:B)
Decoupage Epoxy is a clear self-leveling system designed for laminating bar tops, table or counter tops, pictures, artwork, clocks, cypress, etc. This system offers a slow rate of cure making it ideal for the novice user or for tedious application environments where more time is helpful.
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Precision Epoxy Products
division of: Rock Art, Ltd.
4279 Midway Drive
Douglasville, Georgia 30134
Phone: (770) 489-0340
Email: [email protected]
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