Powder Coating for Dummies

Powder coating refers to the method of surface finishing that involves spraying of dry electrostatically charged powder. Here is some information about powder coating for dummies.
Powder coating, as the name signifies, is a technique of using dry powder for surface finishing. It is relatively a new way of surface coating in comparison to other painting methods. Power coating was believed to have implemented for the first time in 1967 in Australia. It can be used for finishing any surface, provided that the material to be coated should be able to withstand the elevated curing temperature. Let's discuss in brief about powder coating for dummies.

Powder Coating Process for Dummies

Powder coating process is not so difficult as it sounds. In fact, the popularity of powder coating is contributed mainly due to the ease of powder application and smooth texture of the finished surface. With the right equipment and paint powder, powder coating can be performed easily by following some basic tips.

Powder Coating Equipment: Powder coating electrostatic guns and electrostatic tunnels are used to apply powder coat to the surface. There are several types of electrostatic guns, some of which include turbo charging guns, corona charging guns and bell charging guns. While carrying out powder coating, powder of a specific color and quality is feed into the gun or tunnel, which is then charged sprayed on the surface. The charging mechanism of the powder varies from one powder coating equipment to another.

Types of Powder: A free-flow, dry powder used in powder coating consists of a mixture of resin, pigments and hardener. The mixture is treated in certain steps to form a fine powder. Speaking about the powder, there are two main types - thermoplastic and thermosetting. The former type melts at a high temperature, which is responsible for adherence of the powder to the material. In case of thermosetting powder, the powder reacts with other ingredients during baking, which increases the adhesive property of the powder.

Powder Coating Process: The process of powder coating can be carried out under three common steps, namely, pre-treatment of the surface to be coated, application of the powder and curing the powder coated surface. First of all, the surface (metal or fire board) to be treated is prepared by cleaning dust, dirt or other contaminants. Following this, dry powder is applied electrostatically on the pre-treated surface. The coated surface is then cured by exposing to an elevated temperature (more than 200 degrees Celsius), either in convection oven or infrared oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Industrial Powder Coating: Industrial powder coating refers to applying powder coats commercially. The large metallic products, whether aluminum, iron or steel products are powder coated to give a smooth finish texture or a wrinkled or minitex appearance. There are industrial powder coating services that take the orders for powder coating on a large-scale. The color, texture and powder type applied on the surface are variable as per the requirements of the customer.

Powder coating has become very popular for finishing cookware, automobile parts, gokart parts and other household items. Unlike wet painting that releases certain volatile chemical compounds, powder coating is considered as an environment friendly procedure for surface finishing. The powder leftovers after the completion of powder coating can be collected easily and used again for further applications.
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Last Updated: 9/27/2011
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