All About Powder Coating
Powder coating creates a “hard”, superior finish that is tougher then conventional paints. Powder coating is usually used for coating metals, although new technologies allow for the application to be used on a variety of other materials such as MDF or medium-density fibreboard.
The Advantages of Powder Coating …
There are several advantages of powder coating over conventional liquid coatings:
- Durability – Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading and wearing. Powder coating is available in a wide range of colors, glosses, and textures without the worry of drips or runs.
- Environmentally Safe – Powder coating doesn’t emit hazardous fumes associated with other finishing products.
- Superior Finish - Significant breakthroughs in powder coating technologies make it possible to meet today’s demanding needs for an exceptional finish that is longer-lasting.
The Powder Coating Process …
The process of powder coating involves three basic steps:
- Part preparation or the Pre treatment
- The powder application
- Curing
Step #1 - Part Preparation
The removal of contaminants on the part to be powder coated is an essential and very important step of powder coating. First, all contaminants such as oil, soil, lubrication greases, metal oxides, welding scales etc. must be removed so that the dry powder can adhere to the parts surface. This can be achieved through either a chemical or mechanical process and the selection of methods used is generally dependant upon the following specifications:
- size and the material of the part to be powder coated
- the type of soil to be removed
- the performance requirement of the finished product
The next step in the part preparation process is sometimes interchangeably referred to as media blasting, abrasive blasting or sand blasting.
The Silicon carbide grit blast media, which is used as the abrasive in sand blasting is used to provide surface texturing, etching, finishing, cleaning and degreasing for the part to be powder coated.
Step #2 - Powder Application
The next step in the powder coating process is to simply, apply the powder to the part.
The part to be powder coated is grounded to the application booth and then sprayed with powder through an electrostatic or triboelectric gun, sometimes also referred to as a Corona gun or Tribo gun (respectively). The powder being sprayed from the gun carries a positive electric charge, which when combined with the negative, grounded charge of the part creates a bond between the powder and the part.
Step #3 - Curing
The final step in the powder coating process involves the curing of the powder coated part. This is achieved by essentially baking the part at roughly 400° for 10 minutes or more.
When the powder coated part is exposed to the elevated temperature, it begins to melt, flows out, and then chemically reacts to form a higher molecular weight polymer. This cure process, also called crosslinking, creates the superior finish referred to as powder coating.
Contact Powder Pros, Inc. for a Job Well Done ...
At Powder Pros, Inc., we take pride in a job well done. We believe that our dedication to excellence is what sets us apart from our competitors. Powder Pros, Inc. strives to maintain the highest customer service standards while providing a premium finished product.
