Let’s start off with a basic question—what is powder coating? Powder coating is a type of coating for metal pieces and products that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The appliance industry alone makes up approximately one-third of all the industrial parts that are powder coated.
But what is the difference between powder coating and conventional liquid painting on metal pieces and products? Is one technique preferred over the other?
What are the key differences between powder coating and spray paint?
The number one difference between powder coating and your traditional liquid paint is that powder coating doesn’t need a solvent to keep the filler and binder parts in liquid form. Powder coating is cured under heat and applied electrostatically.
This lets the powder flow and forms a kind of skin on the product it’s being applied to. Powder coating can either come as a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer and is used to create a hard finish that’s considered tougher than conventional paint.
Powder coating also provides many different advantages that conventional paint can’t quite deliver to metal. These advantages include:
- Powder coating production lines produce less hazardous waste compared to conventional liquid coating production lines.
- Powder coatings create a thicker coat without sagging or running like conventional liquid coating does.
- Powder coating provides industries with a wide range of specialty effects that are impossible to recreate with other types of coating processes.
- Another difference between powder coating and paint is how it looks when completed based on the direction the coating was applied. When a conventional liquid coating is used, there are appearance differences between horizontally coated and vertically coated services. Products and items that are given a powder coating have few differences in appearance even if they were coated differently.
- You can recycle powder coating overspray, which means you can make use of the entire coating without wasting the powder.
- Unlike a conventional liquid coating, powder coatings emit near zero volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Where can I get professional powder coating near me?
It’s no secret that professional powder coating is beneficial to the overall look of your products. In fact, the global powder coatings market value is expected to reach up to $12.48 billion by 2020. But it isn’t enough to use just any professional powder coating.
Professional Finishing has the enhanced powder coating, liquid coating, and sandblasting services you need to get the professional finish you want. To learn more about our finishing services, contact Professional Finishing today.