In recent years, the need to make products that have less pollution for the weather and environment during the process and consumption is constantly increasing. One of the reasons for the increase in the consumption of powder coatings is the same issue. Volatile organic compounds and organic solvents, minimal gases coming out of the oven during baking, low waste and by-products during the production and consumption process, being free of heavy metals and non-toxicity of these products are all reasons that powder colors are considered Environmental introduces a superior cover.
Powder paint consists of fine and dry resin particles plus your desired pigment, resin powder is applied through a spray gun similar to a liquid paint spray gun, with the difference that the spray gun and resin particles contain electrostatic charges. When the resin particles are sprayed on the workpiece, the particles stick to the metal surface. This is because the workpiece is connected to the ground and attracts particles like a magnet. The particles attached to the metal surface are baked in special industrial ovens up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The molten resin fuses on the metal surface and creates a uniform, thick and resistant surface.
Solvent-based liquid paint can be affected by weather conditions such as temperature and humidity, and the result is lower quality work, smoothing or orange peel surface. In addition to weather conditions, the skill of the painter will also have a direct effect on the quality. Since the powder paint adheres to the workpiece through electrostatic attraction, it is possible to obtain a uniform and high quality surface in any weather condition.
As a multi-purpose coating, powder paint offers unique advantages and facilities to the consumer that traditional liquid paint systems have been unable to provide. Below are some of these benefits:
Efficiency:
The powder paint system is far more efficient than the standard liquid paint system. The process of applying powder paint is free of any dripping or flowing and there is no need to dry it. In the process of applying powder paint, it is possible to paint a large number of parts in the shortest possible time, which is one of the factors of less loss of paint compared to liquid paint.
Shine and beauty:
The powder paint has great gloss and beauty, and at the same time, it has unique mechanical properties. A variety of colors and different effects are possible with adjustable gloss from the lowest level of gloss to the highest level of gloss. Metal, wooden and plastic components can be coated with powder paint and the obtained surface can maintain its resistance and beauty for many years. Powder paint can provide a thicker paint film layer than liquid paint, without the paint flowing over the surface. Powder paint consists of fine and dry resin particles plus your desired pigment, resin powder is applied through a spray gun similar to a liquid paint spray gun, with the difference that the spray gun and resin particles contain electrostatic charges. When the resin particles are sprayed on the workpiece, the particles stick to the metal surface. This is because the workpiece is connected to the earth and attracts particles like a magnet. The particles stuck to the metal surface are baked in special industrial ovens up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The molten resin fuses on the metal surface and creates a uniform, thick and resistant surface.
In addition to the above advantages, the technical advantages of powder coatings have caused a great tendency to use this type of coating in industries:
1- It is ready to use: the powders that are available in the market today can be used immediately and as delivered and do not need additives, mixing, dilution, concentration adjustment, etc. Supplies and materials as well as cost are saved.
2- It is produced with various properties: a wide range of types of powder paints for special surfaces and with special properties can be designed and manufactured today and are available to consumers. As all the opinions of consumers, including hardness, gloss level, resistance It has been provided against corrosion, good edge coating, surface homogeneity, etc. In addition, nowadays, powder colors with gloss between 5 and 95% can be designed, as well as colors with special properties such as metallic colors, hammer colors, Cherokee colors, leather colors, Transparent color under the facade has been made available to consumers by the manufacturing companies.
3- Cost-effective: Although powder paint sprayers are more expensive than liquid paint sprayers, in the long run, powder paints are more economical due to the small waste and powder recycling.
4- The risk of fire is less: Since powder coatings do not contain solvents, the possibility of fire is significantly reduced. In addition, during the production and consumption of powder coatings, there are no flammable substances, which in turn reduces the cost of equipment. Fire extinguishing and insurance.
5- There is no solvent evaporation: In fact, no expensive material is thrown away when using this type of coating, and there is no solvent that evaporates, which of course is in line with environmental laws regarding the non-discharge of chemicals in the environment. Also, during the production and use of powder colors, no fugitive substance enters the body in the form of vapor through the nose and mouth, and thus the problem of acute or chronic poisoning caused by inhalation of toxic vapors is ruled out, and by using a mask, the possibility of powder entering the nose is also excluded. It is minimized.
Economic advantages of powder coatings:
1- Reduction of returned parts: Many manufacturing companies that have changed their paint line from liquid paint to powder paint in recent years admit that sometimes up to 15% of the products that were painted with liquid paint are defective due to color defects. were returned, while this ratio has decreased to 1% in the case of powder paint.
2- Reducing the cost of packaging: Since powder coatings have a very good resistance to scratches and mechanical factors in general, it is easier to pack and maintain painted parts.
3-Saving the consumption of materials
4-Increasing production speed: Most of the units that have changed their painting line to powder colors have noticed that there has been a significant increase in production speed and the production time has decreased accordingly.
5-Saving energy and fuel consumption: The price of fuel is an important factor for industrial and production units today, and many units prefer to change their line from liquid to powder in order to reduce the cost of fuel.
Powder paint market
Today, all over the world, especially in the West, countless artifacts can be found that are covered with powder paints. Five major groups of industries are consumers of powder paints, which are:
1-Manufacturers of household appliances with large dimensions such as industrial and household refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, rotary dryers, coolers and coolers, ventilators and hoods, radiators, gas stoves, etc., in most of these artifacts are made of epoxy paint. – Polyester is used as a hybrid for covering. This type of coating has good stability and an acceptable gloss, and until 1996, about 42% of these industries used powder coating, and it is predicted that this figure will reach 70% in the next 10 years.
2-Metal furniture, shelving, metal bed bases, instrument panels, control panels, firefighting equipment, hospital equipment, metal walls and separators. This group ranks second in terms of powder paint consumption and is around 25 % of these industries use powder paint. This figure can increase up to 45%.
3-Automotive parts manufacturers: Currently, 20% of these industries are covered by powder paints. The products of this industry are divided into two main groups:
A) Underbody equipment such as springs, steering parts, chassis, etc., which are covered with matte epoxy coating.
b) External parts such as rims, mirrors and glass frames, wiper blades, etc., which are made by polyester system.
TGIC is covered in gloss black.
4- Manufacturers of industrial and agricultural machinery: about 16% of this industrial group use powder paints, which is expected to reach 35% in the next 10 years. It is used. The only noteworthy point is that in the case of objects with a large volume, such as the body of a tractor, due to the sharp drop in oven temperature, powders that take a long time to cook should be used to compensate for the temperature drop during the baking process.
5-Miscellaneous metal products manufacturing industries: The products of this group include architectural equipment, garden furniture, garden fences, garage doors, chandelier bases, and lamps. About 20% of these industries use powder paints and generally because they are all outside Home appliances use polyester-TGIC based coating, the growth of this industry is expected to be 10% annually.
Disadvantages:
1) Pollution, such as the presence of foreign particles that cannot be removed after cooking.
2) Changing the color, it is necessary to be careful in cleaning the paint application devices such as the spray booth and the recycling path.
3) It is not possible to adjust the powder specifications during manufacturing. Unlike liquid paints, which can often be tinted when applied, this is not possible for powder paints.