Powder coating is a type of dry coating, which 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 "white goods", aluminium extrusions, and automobile and motorcycle parts. Newer technologies allow other materials, such as MDF (medium-density fibreboard), to be powder coated using different methods.
The powder coating process involves three basic steps:
1. Pre-treatment: Removal of oil, soil, greases, metal oxides etc. by variety of chemical and mechanical methods.
2. The powder coating application: Applying the powder coating to metal objects is to spray the powder using an electrostatic gun. The gun imparts a negative electric charge on the powder, which is then sprayed towards the object, which is grounded.
3. Curing: Requiring a certain degree of temperature for a certain length of time in order to reach full cure and establish the full film properties for which the material was designed. The curing schedule could vary according to the manufacturer's specifications. It can be accomplished by convection cure ovens or infrared cure ovens.
We are able to supply a wide range of different kinds of powder coating systems of Horizontal and Vertical systems.
Wood-grain powder coating equipment is available.
