DESIGN

​Every product at Sterling Equipment starts with a tall man named Wade. He is the one who collects the dimensions of your truck, either from the manufacturer of the vehicle, or by going out and taking measurements himself. With the dimensions in hand (and dirt on his back from measuring the underside of the truck), he designs the product while avoiding modifications to the truck and minimizing any unnecessary drilling for the mounting process (AKA when they put it on your truck). After several days and hours of sketching and mock-ups, Wade will create a prototype. He revises the prototype to ensure that the final product will fit your vehicle perfectly. Once he finalizes the revisions on the prototype, he uses his fancy CAD program to create the blueprints that the shop will use to create the product. 

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PROTOTYPE

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CONSTRUCTION

​Once the design is done, it is sent to the shop. Depending on the product, steel will be bent, cut, and welded together. Welding is the process of permanently joining metals together. There are many types of welding, but the one we use is MIG (metal inert gas) or GMAW (gas metal arc welding), which includes melting metal and a bunch of bright, explosive sparks. The welding is what makes our products one-piece, with no assembly required on your end.  

POWDER COATING

​Once the product is assembled, it is sent to the powder coating department. Powder coating is extremely durable and lasts a long time, so it is perfect for truck accessories that undergo outside exposure. A spray gun is used to apply the powder to the cleaned product. The gun gives the powder particles an electrostatic charge so it clings to the steel. Once it is coated, the product is heated at 400 degrees to cure. Some science happens at this stage; the powder coating reacts chemically to make long molecular chains that are super resistant to breakdown. The end result is a beautiful and smooth powder coating on our well-designed product that will look tough and fit perfectly on your vehicle! 

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