Is CRCA steel good enough for Outdoor electronics applications?

[schwarz]

Hi, Normally we use aluminum cabinets for outdoor electronics enclosure. To reduce cost we propose use of CRCA steel. Please suggest if this is OK and what type of plating and painting are required to achieve 10yr+ life.Regards

 

[swall]

You could use an automotive like finish--start with E-Coat, then primer, then top coat. You could also do powder coat over the E-coat, as long as your coater understands how to get good coverage in the corners.

 

[schwarz]

Thanks swall, what would be plating/galvanising recommendation? [ I am not from this background]

 

[CoryPad]

Two options:

galvanized steel (~ 40 micrometers thickness) + paint (your choice, urethanes are good topcoats since they are UV resistant)

bare steel + zinc phosphate (a primer) + epoxy-based cathodic electrocoat (~ 30 micrometers thick) + topcoat (urethane-based is a good choice).