Our powder coating service harnesses the power of science to provide you with a flawlessly finished metal product, which is quite a confusing process. When reading about the process, you will likely come across some word and terms you might not understand, we have broken down some of them for you!
Electrostatic Coating
Electrostatic coating is the process of applying electrically charged powder coating materials to grounded parts. Powder is held to the part by this electrostatic attraction until heat is added to flow the powder together and cure it.
Particle Charging
This is when a positive charge is added to the powder through its application device, allowing it to easily adhere to the grounded metal item.
Phosphate Wash
A Phosphate wash is a process that an item must undergo before it can be powder coated. Phosphate is an organic chemical derivative of phosphoric acid. This chemical ‘cleans’ the metal by reacting with surface particles and removing any residue, priming it for the powder.
Curing
Curing is used in powder coating to ‘set’ the finish. It involves exposing the powder to a high temperature over a set period of time. This melts the powder causing it to chemically react and form a durable polymer structure and cover every aspect of the item. This is why not every material can be powder coated, because it has to withstand temperatures of around 200°C.
Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure. They can have a negative impact on health and they can react with other gases and form other air pollutants after they are in the air. Powder coating as opposed to more traditional methods of painting or coating, gives off minimal amounts of VOC’s, making the process more environmentally friendly, with a lower impact on the carbon footprint.
Find out more about our process and how we can help provide you with a flawless and durable product by calling us on 01440 706 218 or fill out our contact form here.