not tough enough

[cray]

spent weeks trying to get my powder coat stronger but cant find the magic process.. it looks decent but isnt near as tough as it should be when compared to the powder coat that i had an experienced company do for me.. im using the chrome powder and im washing the parts in solvent , letting them dry for 24hrs. and then pre baking them to burn out any moisture left over.. i paint about 60 parts a day and the strength is more important than the finished look but i cant seem to get it right.. i bake the parts for 20 - 25 min. at 400 degrees to cure , ive tried baking up to 45 min. , tried lower temp and longer bake time , tried higher temp and shorter bake time.. the only thing i could find that seemed to make any difference was coating the parts extremely thick but then it takes forever and a day to paint and uses way too much powder and is also hard to get it right without getting too thick and looking like junk..
are there certain colors that are stronger than others or any different types of powder to try.?
i have a cheap hobby gun and would certainly pay a reasonable amount for better equipment if thats the problem.. im somewhat new to this but have been painting everyday for a month or so and feel ive reached the limit here.. SORRY FOR THE LONG POST - just getting frustrated

[cray]

one more quick question , is it possible to spray a light coat , then partially bake the parts then spray a full coat over the top and fully bake it.? if so what would be the process and will this allow you to make a thicker than normal coat without the pits and orange peel.?

[Blademan]

just a question....how heavy are you applying the powder?

[cray]

i would guess it to be about .0020" to .0025" thick .. i meaured a part before and after painting and thats about what it measured bigger on diameter..

[DALE]

Thats only .001 to.00125 surface thickness. Should be thicker than that.As for your equipment, hobby equipment will work fine.Strength can be that the other applicator uses a different chemistry of powder. Epoxy is alot harder than polyester, but tends to fade over time.There are hybrids available to help overcome the fading.As for your question on second coating, there are many past threads desciribing in detail how to multi coat.

[cray]

thanks , ill get some epoxy and try it asap .. i read all the articles about the different powders but are the hybrids as tough as the epoxy or is it more of a happy medium.?

[DALE]

Hybrids are the happy medium for the hobbiest.Commercial users can get the blend adjusted for their needs but they also usually have a much higher volume.Straight epoxies are limited in color choices. Start with your thickness and chrome isn't super tough anyways.