Powder Coating

Powder coating is a type of coating that 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. 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. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as household appliances, aluminium extrusions, drum hardware, and automobile and bicycle parts.

Advantages and disadvantages of powder coating

• Powder coatings emit zero or near zero volatile organic compounds (VOC).
• Powder coatings can produce much thicker coatings than conventional liquid coatings without running or sagging.
• Powder coating overspray can be recycled and thus it is possible to achieve nearly 100% utilisation of the coating.
• Powder coating production lines produce less hazardous waste than conventional liquid coatings.
• Capital equipment and operating costs for a powder line are generally less than for conventional liquid lines.
• The mechanical durability of powder greatly exceeds wet paint.
• Powder can be applied at higher film builds than liquid.
• Difficult to touch-up in the field with a good color match.
• Single coat powder paints on aluminum are susceptible to filiform corrosion.
• Applicators cannot perform in-house blending and color matching.