Guide to Eco-Friendly Industrial Powder Coating Finishing
Industrial powder coatings make a key contribution to the lifespan of any machined product. They mainly safeguard the main material from corrosion. This lessens the material waste, which makes it eco-friendly. Moreover, it differs from other common coatings since it does not use corrosive solvents. These solvents are the cause of a certain degree of industrial pollution. If you are aiming at eco-friendly production, we advise you to opt for industrial powder coating. Here is further insight into how we at Creatingway may be of help in powder coating.
What is the Powder Coating Process?
Below is a breakdown of how we achieve industrial powder coating.
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Surface Preparation
We consider this the most critical step in industrial powder coating. It aids us in removing mud and any other particles that may be on the surface. This helps us avoid poor powder adhesion that leads to local coating failure. When the coating fails, corrosion begins to spread from the affected parts. The resultant effect may be widespread damage.
We start the preparation by cleaning the surface of oil, dirt, and grease. We achieve this by using a vast array of cleaning methods. One such is chemical cleaning using phosphates and chromates. Another method is electrical cleaning where we subject the part to electrocoating. Finally, mechanical cleaning entails sandblasting the part. We prefer these methods, as they are more detailed than the ones in liquid painting.
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Applying the Coating
In this stage, we use a special spray gun. The gun first ionizes the powder coating particles with a positive charge. It thus allows the powder to stick better when spraying onto a grounded part. We can achieve grounding either by electrostatic charging or by friction.
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Curing
Upon spraying the powder on, we proceed to cure it. This process enables the separate particles to melt and blend. We thus end up forming a watertight coat that shields the part from any form of corrosion. 200 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for curing industrial powder coated parts.
Why Is It Eco Friendly?
Firstly, the industrial powder coating process is rather cheap and fast. It may take us a little over an hour to apply the coat while we time the curing process. We can achieve the perfect surface by curing the coated part for 10 minutes. This further encourages us to use the process, as it is sustainable. It takes up less power in comparison to other technical finishing processes.
Secondly, it is more durable than other forms of coating. Moreover, we can thicken powder screens without having to worry about adhesion issues. It does not use any solvents thus the coating has better composition.
Thirdly, it gives us advanced surface options. Industrial powder coating does not limit us to silver and gold powdered variations. We can use electromagnetic fields to add a whole other range of patterns to the surface. We may be unable to achieve this through liquid painting.
Fourthly, there are little to no blotches and splotches. The painting pays keen attention to where the paint lies on the part. Vertical surfaces sometimes end up having uneven coating thickness. This is since the paint slides down the surface before solidifying it in the lower surfaces. Powder coating uses the EM field to spread out powder particles onto the surface evenly.
What Are the Tools We Use in Industrial Powder Coating?
Industrial powder coating uses special tools just like any other manufacturing process.
We divide the tools according to the stages they come into play. One point worth noting is that the tools we use are eco-friendly. Here are further details of how we classify them.
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Preparation tools
These refer to all the tools we use in cleaning the part before powder coating. The entire set depends on the material we are using. In the case of construction steel, they normally have a lot of dirt and rust. We thus must have a sandblasting chamber. On the other hand, chemical cleaning needs spraying tools and a sealed washing chamber. Moreover, having a drying room offers greater efficiency.
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Powder Applying Tools
These mainly comprise a coating booth and spray gun. There is a vast array of spray guns in the present market. They may range from simple and cheap ones to the more costly and complex ones. Most of them work using an EM field or tribology to charge the powder particles. We then spray them onto the surface using a pneumatic tool that must have a compressor. The industrial powder coating process can take place with proper aeration.
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Curing Tools
Ovens are the main tool for this process. They vary in terms of working temperatures and size. Small powder coat ovens are ideal for small operations as they cut on costs. Large ones are ideal for larger operations. We can automate the curing process by mounting a conveyor belt to move the cured part at intervals. There are also extra needs if you intend to use a high-temperature powder coating. We may have to add extra insulation for safety in such a case. Contact us for any further inquiries regarding any form of surface and prototype finishes.
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