Powder Coating

POWDER COATING

Powder coating is a finishing technology where a

decorative and highly protective coating can be applied to a wide
range of products.

The process involves spraying finely ground, electro-statically

charged particles of pigment and resin onto a surface to be coated.
The charged powder particles adhere to the
electrically grounded surfaces and then are
heated and fused into a smooth coating
in a curing oven.

WHY POWDER COATING

Superior Appearance
Mechanical Resistance Properties
Corrosion Resistance
Solvent Resistance
Highly durable: chip, scratch, fade and wear resistant
Ready to use and require
no mixing, Solvents,
or catalysts

Liquid Finishes Vs. Powder Coating

Solvents Necessitate venting, filtering, and solvent

recovery systems that is not necessary in powder
coating.
Liquid Spray Coating achieve material usage of
20-85% while powder coating has a Material
usage of 95-98%
Liquid overspray is lost in filters
while 99% of Powder overspray
is collected and reused

POWDER TYPES

Thermoplastic
Powder melts and flows to form a film.
Continues to have the same chemical composition when it solidifies
Will re-melt when heated.
Thick coating surface and not in same market as liquid paint.
Examples
:

Polyethylene
Polypropylene
PVC

Thermoset:
Powder melt flow and cross-link chemically to products
Cured coatings have different chemical structures than the basic
resigns.
Will not re-melt when reheated
Can produce thin paint like coating of 0.001 0.003 inch thick.
Examples
Epoxy
Hydroxyl polyester (urethane)
Acrylic Urethane

PROCESS

POWDER COATING PROCESS

The powder coating process involves three
basic steps:
Part

preparation or the pre-treatment

The powder application
Curing

PRE-TREATMENT

Removal of oil, soil, lubrication greases, metal oxides,

welding scales etc. is essential prior to the powder
coating process
Chemical pre-treatments involve the use of phosphates
or chromates in submersion or spray application
Another method of preparing the surface prior to coating
is known as abrasive blasting or sandblasting and shot
blasting.
Different powder coating applications can require
alternative methods of preparation such as abrasive
blasting prior to coating.

POWDER APPLICATION

The most common way of applying the powder coating to metal

objects is to spray the powder using an electrostatic gun, or corona
gun.

The gun imparts a negative electric charge to the powder, which is

then sprayed towards the grounded object by mechanical or
compressed air spraying and then accelerated toward the workpiece
by the powerful electrostatic charge.
The object is then heated, and the powder melts into a uniform film,
and is then cooled to form a hard coating
Preheating can help to achieve a more uniform finish but can also
create other problems, such as runs caused by excess powder.

CURING

When a thermoset powder is exposed to

elevated temperature, it begins to melt, flows
out, and then chemically reacts to form a higher
molecular weight polymer in a network-like
structure.
Normally the powders cure at 200C (390F) for
10 minutes
It can be accomplished by convection cure
ovens infrared cure ovens, or by laser curing
process

REMOVING POWDER COATING

Methylene chloride is generally effective at removing

powder coating, however most other organic solvents
(acetone, thinners, etc.) are completely ineffective.
Powder coating can also be removed with
abrasive blasting. 98% sulfuric acid commercial grade
also removes powder coating film
.Powder coating can also be removed by a burning off
process, in which parts are put into a large hightemperature oven with temperatures typically reaching an
air temp of 1100 to 1500 degrees with a burner
temperature of 900.

ADVANTAGES

emit zero or near zero volatile organic compounds

(VOC).
can produce much thicker coatings than conventional
liquid coatings without running or sagging.
can be recycled and thus it is possible to achieve nearly
100% use of the coating.
less hazardous waste than conventional liquid coatings.
Capital equipment and operating costs for a powder line
are generally less than for conventional liquid lines.
Powder coated items generally have fewer appearance
differences between horizontally coated surfaces and
vertically coated surfaces than liquid coated items.

DISADVANTAGES

It is not as easy to apply smooth thin films. As

the film thickness is reduced, the film becomes
more and more orange peeled in texture due to
the particle size and glass transition temperature
(TG) of the powder.
On smaller jobs, the cost of powder coating will
be higher than spray painting.

COST AND REUSE

Powder coatings can produce a much thicker

coating. A .001 - .003 average thickness can be
obtained in one powder application.
The wet, solvent spray could take two to three coats
to attain this thickness.
The addition application increases the processing
time and the expense to obtain the necessary finish.
With the use of a powder recovery system the
overspray can also be collected and reused. So it is
possible to recycle nearly 100% of the powder
coating.

Powder Coating
Better Than Painting The Eastwood Hot
Coat System.mp4

Trojan Powder
Coating Process.mp4

THANK YOU!