How Are Soft Touch Stainless Steel Water Bottles Manufactured? All About Rubber Coating Process

What is Rubber Coating?

Rubber coating is a kind of pain that forms a protective layer on the surface of stainless steel water bottles. It mainly contains rubber or rubber-based material. Due to the material’s great elasticity and adhesion, flasks with a rubber coating finish can better endure corrosion, impact, and wear.

In addition, rubber coating can cover up flaws and watermarks formed during injection molding. Rubber-coated cups are also favored for their soft touch and elegant appearance.

Rubber Coating Process

The rubber coating process applies a layer of rubber-based material onto the surface of stainless steel thermoses. This process can very much enhance the bottles’ durability and extend their lifespan. Five key steps are involved during the rubber coating process at KingStar. Here’s an overview:

Step 1: Cleaning the Surface

The substrate of stainless steel water bottle needs to be cleaned to remove dirt, grease, and contaminants. This may involve sanding or using solvents to promote better adhesion.

Step 2: Applying a Primer

This enhances the adhesion and tightness of the wall, increasing the adhesion of the rubber coating. When applying the primer, it’s important to ensure an even application to avoid uneven thickness.

Step 3: Application

The rubber coating material is applied, usually through dipping, spraying, or brushing.

Step 4: Curing

After application, rubber-coated water flasks need to be cured to harden and form a durable coating by heat.

Step 5: Finishing and Quality Control

Finally, soft touch metal water bottles are inspected for quality and may undergo additional finishing processes to achieve the desired texture and appearance.

Composition of Rubber Coating

The type of rubber coating that is applied to water bottles is liquid rubber coating, which is non-toxic and eco-friendly.

The components of liquid rubber coating on stainless steel insulated travel mugs typically include the following ingredients:

1. Water: Used as the main solvent, it contains no harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to solvent-based coatings, making it eco-friendly and easy to clean.

2. Rubber:Natural rubber derivatives or synthetic rubber

3. Resin:Provide elasticity and wear resistance.

4. Pigments:Provide color and opacity.

5. Additives:Such as leveling agents and preservatives, which enhance the paint’s performance and stability.

These components give soft touch sports water bottles good performance and have no damage to human bodies.

Are Rubber Coating Stainless Steel Water Bottles Safe?

Rubber coating stainless steel coffee mugs have been gaining popularity in resent years for its soft touch and scratch resistance performance. When it comes to drinkware, safety is the top concern. Many people are attracted to rubber-coated stainless steel flasks/ water bottles/ mugs/ coffee cups/ thermoses/ jugs/ tumblers by their smooth and delicate feel and excellent wear resistance. So it is necessary to ensure the safety of soft touch water bottles.

1. Healthy:

At KingStar, we use liquid rubber coating as the primary material for water bottle’s finish. Using water as the main solvent, liquid rubber does not contain benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, free TDI, or toxic heavy metals. It releases no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or any other harmful chemicals during application and curing. It is non-toxic, has no irritating odors, and is harmless to the human body.

2. Eco-friendly:

• Reduced VOC Emissions: Liquid formulations emit significantly fewer VOCs compared to solvent-based coatings. This minimizes air pollution and leads to less contribution to smog.
• Biodegradable Components: Many ingredients in liquid coating mugs are biodegradable, meaning they break down naturally over time, reducing environmental harm.
• Safer for Aquatic Life: Lower toxicity means that, in the event of spills, disposal of liquid coating tumblers typically involves fewer hazardous waste concerns.
• Resource Conservation: Liquid rubber coating flasks are more durable and wear-resistant, meaning it needs less frequent replacement and less raw material consumption over time.

Difficulties of Rubber Coating Process

Applying rubber coating to stainless steel drink bottles is more difficult than applying traditional paint.

1. High Surface Preparation Requirements: During the application of rubber coating, the paint film is prone to bubble. This requires careful preparation and technique. KingStar’s solution is to thoroughly clean bottles’ surface of grime, dust, oil, and etc, and to keep the surface of bottles dry before applying primer and topcoat.

2. Peeling off: Once the coating dries and forms a film, it can easily peel off the substrate of thermoses, leading to large areas of detachment. The weak interlayer bonding force between the metal coffee cup and the rubber coating is a significant factor that hinders adhesion. KingStar uses a special primer that enhances the metal surface’s adhesion properties. This primer also improves the bond with the rubber coating, creating a strong, cohesive layer on the metal surface.

3. Thicker Application Layer: Due to the higher viscosity of the coating, it can be difficult to apply evenly, often requiring multiple layers to achieve the desired coverage.

4. Drying Time Control: Environmental temperature and humidity can impact drying times, requiring KingStar to precisely control drying time to avoid bubbling or running.

5. Whitening: When humidity is high, rubber paint is prone to whitening. Whitening occurs when moisture mixes with the paint, forming a white emulsion. KingStar uses solvents to avoid this phenomenon, and carefully controls the amount of solvent. Solvents that evaporate too quickly can not be used. Click and read more: The Solution to Rubber Paint Peeling off Issue

Insulated Square Water Bottle Stainless Steel 350ml Rubber Paint Soft Touch Surface

Send email to sales@waterbottle.tech or leave online message, you will get response within 24 hours.

Conclusion

In today’s society, where functionality and aesthetics are equally valued, incorporating liquid rubber coating into stainless steel water bottles is the ideal choice. KingStar’s soft-touch stainless steel bottles, flasks, mugs, coffee cups, and jugs align perfectly with current trends and consumer preferences, providing a refined feel and attractive appearance that enhance the drinking experience. As a leading wholesale manufacturer of stainless steel water bottles, KingStar is dedicated to producing a variety of flasks tailored to our clients’ specific needs. With extensive experience in crafting soft-touch water mugs, we provide high-quality bottles along with customization options in colors, sizes, and logo. For more information, feel free to leave us a message online or via email to sales@waterbottle.tech. We will respond within 24 hours.