General
- Powder coating is a type of dry
coating, which 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. Powder coating is an
advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to
virtually any type of metal that can be used both by industry and
consumers.
- 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.
- The powder used in the process is a
mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is
electrostatically sprayed onto the surface to be coated. The charged
powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until the
powder is heated and fused into a smooth coating in the curing oven. The
result is a uniform, durable, high quality, and attractive finish.
Process
- There is essentially two common ways
of processing powder coating: by electrostatic spray and by fluidized
bed powder coating. There are several other processes that have been
developed, but they are far less used. These include flame spraying,
spraying with a plasma gun, airless hot spray, and coating by
electophoretic deposition.
- At each stage of the production
process the quality must be checked because once the powder coating
material has been produced, it cannot be changed or adjusted in any
significant way. The formulation and the manufacturing conditions are
therefore critical. Compared to other coating methods, powder technology
offers a number of significant advantages. These coatings are
essentially 100% nonvolatile, ie, no solvents or other pollutants are
given off during application or curing.
- The basis of any good coating is
preparation. The vast majority of powder coating failures can be traced
to a lack of a suitable preparation. The preparation treatment is
different for different materials.
Applications
- Furniture, shelving, and cabinetry
components made from medium density fiberboard (MDF) are being
successfully powder coated. Powder coating other wood products, such as
natural wood, particle board and other engineered wood products (EWP).
Several furniture and cabinetry manufacturers have had success with
powder coating MDF. Pigmented powder applications to MDF have been
developed and used more extensively than coating of natural wood, or
clear coating of MDF or other EWPs.
- Powder Coating can be applied to most
steel, aluminum, or other metal items for indoor or outdoor use. Powder
Coating is 100% paint that creates a solid coating when applied. It is
more durable and longer lasting than liquid spray which is diluted.
- A relatively new application process,
called electro-magnetic brush technology, makes it possible to apply
powder coatings at differential speeds and layer thicknesses on flat
substrates, on both conductive and non-conductive substrates. This
process is similar to that used in photocopiers and laser printers, with
“toner” particles triboelectrically charged against the ferromagnetic
“carrier” particles, and transported with mixing rollers to a rotating
shell or drum, which has stationary magnets within it.
Technology
- Electric IR drying and curing is used
extensively throughout the finishing industry on a wide variety of
coated and printed products. Metal, wood, plastic, leather, and textile
products can all be processed with electric IR. The technology is
cleaner, safer, and quieter than gas heating technologies and, quite
often, produces superior finishes.
- The technology of uv-curable powder
coatings has been developed during the latter half of the last decade to
the point where industrial use is now both technically feasible and
economically attractive. The technologies used for coating MDF and other
wood-based materials differ for flat panels and for 3-D objects.
Market
- The powder coatings process is widely
accepted as one of the fastest growing finishing technologies in the
world, making the international powder coating market an extremely
attractive one and offering a viable alternative to traditional coating
techniques. The resistance of powder coatings to chipping, scratching,
fading and wearing renders them one of the paint industry's most
economical, permanent and colourfast quality finishes. Which is why they
have penetrated so many markets with diverse product applications.
- U.S. powder coating market at $727
million corresponding to 341.6 million pounds of total production,
reflecting an average price of $2.13 per pound. Compared to revenues in
1999 of $899.2 million from 337.2 million pounds with an average price
of $2.67 per pound, the market has grown only on a volume basis. Mexican
powder coating market has not been immune to the global economic
slowdown, their hardships have not differed greatly from their
counterparts north of the border.
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