That head-turning, just-out-of-the-factory look can endure, according to Ken Pobuda, Crystal Lake, Ill. plant manager for Knaack Manufacturing Company, one of the largest suppliers of industrial tool boxes and pickup and van equipment.

Finishing the aluminum boxes using a process called powder coating "significantly enhances the appearance of the box," Pobuda said. "Aluminum will oxidize over time and, without the clearcoating, the aluminum will take on a dull, drab look in contrast to the bright look the box has when it's new."

In addition, the clearcoating offers greater durability and more resistance to salt spray that may come from salt air in coastal communities or salted roads in winter.

Appearance and durability are both advantages of powder coating, a finishing process that heats ground pigment and resin to encase the product instead of coating it with liquid paint, are important. But Pobuda makes it clear that giving their customers the advantage of lasting good looks means more to Knaack, whose primary market is contractors, plumbers, electricians and others who make their living working from pickup trucks. Enhancing the appearance of the aluminum tool boxes with Armor-Tuf™ clearcoating translates into helping customers influence their bottom line, he said.

"Clothes make the person. If a contractor shows up at your door with a rusty, ratty terrible looking pickup truck, and the truck is carrying a dull aluminum box, would you rather do business with that contractor or one who presents themselves as a professional?"

"When our customers buy a clearcoated box, they're making an investment in their professional image. Quality and success are tied together, and we want our contractors to have both of them," Pobuda said.

"Powder coating has been around since the 1950s, but this 'dry painting' technology has improved dramatically in recent decades," said Greg Bocchi, Executive Director of The Powder Coating Institute, the industry trade group of more than 5,000 member companies. "Today, it's an economically viable process for coating a variety of products without liquid solvents." Finely ground, electrostatically charged particles of pigment and resin are sprayed onto electrostatically ground surfaces, where they adhere. The dry powder particles are then heated and permantly fused to the surface in an oven.

Knaack has been powder coating the steel boxes it makes for at least 15 years. The nature of aluminum makes clearcoating additionally important from the standpoint of durability. If an aluminum box is dented, which is not unusual in a heavy work environment, the powder coating continues to provide protection from the elements. In testing, clearcoating withstands 160 inch- pounds of both direct and reverse impact, which means that the coating continues to protect the aluminum after impact without chipping, cracking, or delaminating. The increased resistance to salt spray is measurable through ASTM testing.

Knaack's extensive WeatherGuard^© product line also includes an aluminum box for personal pickup use, which is "suitable to the homeowner's image," Pobuda said, and the perfect size for a set of golf clubs, fishing equipment, groceries, or luggage.