Powder Technology Advances

Recent developments in several areas of powder application equipment and processing have significantly increased productivity and quality throughout the process and expanded applications for powder coated parts. These include coil and blank coating, in-mold coating and robotics.

Coil coating technology for powder is the continuous coating process of flat metal sheets or strips, which are then cut and post-formed. This process is not widely used, but development continues. Coil coating with powder can produce deep textures in a single pass and unique visual effects not possible with liquid coil coating.

Powder Technology Advances

Powder coating of pre-cut metal blanks, which are then post-formed before final assembly, remains a strong growth area. This process allows for complete edge wrap, uniform film thickness and high transfer efficiency. Both coil coating and blank coating are widely used in the appliance industry.

An in-mold powder coating process for plastic parts has been developed in which powder coating material is sprayed onto a heated mold cavity before the molding cycle begins. During the molding operation, the powder coating chemically bonds to the molding compound, resulting in a product with a coating that is chip- and impact-resistant.

Last but not least, advances in microprocessors and robotics are also facilitating increased production in powder coating facilities. Robots are typically used where repeatability and high production of a limited variety of components are factors. When combined with analog powder output and voltage controls, robots can adjust powder delivery settings during coating, maneuvers too difficult to be accomplished manually.