While the traditional way of painting as one of the metal finishing processes worked arguably well, the use of powder coating has won the trust of many manufacturers of household and industrial products.
Powder coating has since its introduction in the 1960s been the most used dry finishing process representing the largest percentage of the global industrial finishing owing to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
What is powder-coating
Powder coating is one of the most durable finishes that can be applied to industrially manufactured metal products which offers unmatched corrosion protection and safety since it is volatile organic compounds-free.
Powder Coating is a method of applying a protective mixture of finely ground particles of pigments, resin, leveling agents, flow modifiers and other additives to a metal. After the application, the items are passed through an oven where the coating paints react to produce long molecular chains hence resulting in high cross-link density which cannot be broken easily.
Powder coating uses
Found on thousands of products we come across daily, powder coating finish is undoubtedly a high-quality metal finish ever thought of and produced on the planet.
Available in almost all colors and a variety of textures and glosses. Powder coating is used on a manifold of types of parts and products, including almost all metal furniture and the majority of metal display racks, store shelving and shop fixtures, vehicle parts, gym equipment and many others. Wire-formed products such as springs and storage baskets for the home and office are often powder coated.
Powder coating is also applied to the automotive parts such as vehicle wheels, grills, bumpers guards, door handles, decorative trim, radiators, airbag components, engine blocks and numerous under-hood components, along with trailers and trailer hitches.
Over time, powder coating has been largely used by the automotive engineers in some automobiles coated, for instance, clear acrylic topcoats have been used on BMW and Mercedes vehicles.
Also, off-road vehicle frames for instance those used in agricultural and construction equipment are powder coated with good UV and weather protection and high resistance to salt spray and fertilizer to increase the life span of the machinery.
Powder coating is widely used for office furniture and equipment for instance; file drawers, computer cabinets and desks. For home appliances, powder coating can be done on baby strollers, cribs and playpens.
Besides, lawn and garden implements ranging from wheelbarrows, lawnmowers, lawn sprinklers, snowblowers, snow shovels, barbecue grills, propane tanks and garden tools to lighting equipment, antennas, and electrical components are powder coated to last long and increase efficiency.
Benefits of powder-coating
As justified by the experts and witnessed by the gratified users, powder coating protects the roughest and toughest machinery while giving durable and desirable appeal.
Powder coating services give metals both protection and unmatched looks considering that the powder paints come in a vast range of colors, styles and textures based on the customer’s preferences and tastes.
Unlike other paints conventional paints, powder-coated products are resistant to impact, moisture, chemicals, ultraviolet light, heat and other extreme weather conditions. They cannot be easily scratched, chipped, abraded, corroded or faded.
Besides, powder paints act as electrical insulators and have the capability of withstanding many hours of salt contact without rusting. Compared to other wet paints, colored powder-coated items do not lose color even when subjected to extreme weather conditions.
Unlike other liquid coatings where overspray coating material is lost immediately, powder coating ensures proper utilization of coating material since undamaged uncontaminated powder overspray can be reclaimed and recycled.
Powder paint coating, however, produces a greater thickness compared to conventional liquid paints without sagging. The thickness can be achieved with fewer passes of powder. This decreases the turnaround time for a finished product thus reducing the cost of production.
Also, powder coating requires a shorter time of about ten minutes to dry as compared to other liquid coatings which take a relatively long time to dry. This reduces the production time hence works best for the clients with a short timescale.
With the industrial environmental pollution concern hitting the ceiling presently, the use of powder coating has offered an alternative that minimizes the rate of environmental pollution. In contrast to liquid coatings, powder paint does not require solvents that have been reported to contain VOCs which are detrimental to the environment to maintain its coating suspension.
The powder coating process emits little or no VOC solvents making it environmentally friendly. It is worth noting that the powder coating process emits a little amount of carbon dioxide.
Besides, transporting powder-coated items is arguably easier and safer in terms of flexibility due to the ability to bend. It also favors the transportation industry in that the materials can be packed closely to fit a limited space without the risk of cracking or flaking and in a situation where the items are subjected to vibration and twisting.
However, powder coating processes and operations require minimal operator training and supervision in contrast with other coating technologies. Most employees prefer to work with dry powder rather than liquid paints since housekeeping problems and clothing contamination are kept minimal.
In a nutshell, powder coating keeps the five ‘Es:’ economical, efficient, energy-saving, environmentally friendly and excellent finish hence making it the best in the market today.