What is Powder Coating?
Powder Coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a “skin”. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint.
Durability of Powder Coating
Powder coating is a high-quality finish found on thousands of products you come in contact with each day. Powder coating protects the roughest, toughest machinery as well as the household items you depend on daily. It provides a more durable finish than liquid paints can offer, while still providing an attractive finish. Powder coated products are more resistant to diminished coating quality as a result of impact, moisture, chemicals, ultraviolet light, and other extreme weather conditions. Powder coating provides an attractive and durable finish, offering excellent resistance to corrosion, heat, impact, and abrasion.
Economical
With no VOC’s, the air used to exhaust the powder spray booth can be recirculated directly into the plant, eliminating the cost of heating or cooling the make-up air. Energy is also saved with the curing ovens. Solvent-based coatings must heat and exhaust huge volumes of air to ensure that the solvent fumes do not reach a potentially explosive level, but the exhaust requirements in powder coating ovens are lower.
Greater efficiency is achieved because powder coating requires no drying or flash-off timet parts can be racked closer together on a powder rack or conveyor, and more parts can be coated . Powder coating does not run, drip, or sag, and this results in significantly lower reject rates.
Environmental
While liquid finishes contain solvents which have pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), powder coatings contains no solvents and release negligible amounts, if any, of VOC’s into the atmosphere, hence eliminating the need for costly pollution control equipment. In addition, most powder coating overspray that does not adhere to the part can be retrieved and reused, virtually eliminating the waste found in liquid finishing systems.
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