What Is Powder Coating?
The powder coating process uses very fine dry particles of resin with the pigment color of your choice. The resin powder is applied with a spray gun similar in concept to applying solvent based paint. The difference is that this spray gun and its resin contents have an electrostatic charge. When the resin powder is sprayed onto a part it sticks to the metal because it’s grounded, attracting charged resin powder like a magnet. The charged powder adheres to the metal then is melted by baking at 400F degrees in special industrial sized ovens. The melted resin fuses to the metal, providing a uniform, thick and durable finish.
The result is a beautiful glossy finish that is very resistant to chemicals, wear and chipping, 3 times stronger than solvent based paints. Powder coating simply provides a quality finish that can be seen and felt for years.
Solvent based wet paint application can be sensitive to weather conditions such as temperature and humidity, often resulting in lowered quality with runs or orange peeled finishes. In addition to weather, the skill of the painter can also affect the consistency in quality. Since powder coating uses a charged metal attraction in the coating process it is more likely to achieve a consistent high quality finishing in any weather, even with intricate parts.
Clear Coat Protection
Powder coating can also be used as a “clear coat” to protect metal without adding color. Examples are polished aluminum, stainless steel or brass items. Clear coating resists the natural oxidation that will occur from exposure to the elements. A clear coat can also be added on top of any color coat for extra luster and depth.
What Can Be Powder Coated?
All metal objects that have an electrostatic charge and can withstand 400F can be powder coated. And since the powder coating process is environmentally friendly with no solvent emissions it’s the preferred method to finish any metal. The fact is, the durability of powder coating is far superior to solvent paints. So if quality and durability are important to you, powder coating is the best protection for almost anything that’s metal.