Many people enjoy using polyester powder coating because it is efficient to use and offers a cost-effective way to give workpieces a protective and smooth finish. If you’re still deciding whether this is the right coating to use, our guide will provide you with all you need to know to make your decision. Below, we explore what polyester powder coating is, the benefits it provides, which industries and products they suit best and how you can apply it to your products.
All About Polyester Powder Coating
Polyester powder coating is a free-flowing, dried powder you spray onto a material using a spray gun. This powder is electrostatically charged to ensure the powder sticks to the workpiece while it’s connected to the ground circuit. For this reason, polyester powder coatings are mainly suitable for conductive materials like metal.
Polyester powder coating is a more durable long-term solution compared to traditional painting methods. Since the free-flowing powder can make the surface hardwearing, it can allow the coating to become more resistant to color fading and weathering. While abrasion is still possible, many choose to use this coating because it can work well against corrosion and can last longer with proper maintenance.
Two types of polyester powder coatings are urethane polyester, which has minimal thickness, and tri glycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC), which offers a lower cure temperature than urethane polyester.
How Is Polyester Powder Coating Made?
Polyester powder coating is made using various raw ingredients, such as resins, pigments, matting agents, flow agents, curing agents and waxes, to name a few. The manufacturing process for polyester powder coatings generally involves five primary steps:
- Dry blending all the raw ingredients.
- Passing the ingredients through an extruder at an elevated temperature to melt the resins, mill the pigments and attain a homogeneous mix.
- Rapidly cooling the extrudate.
- Milling the flakes of the extrudate to the final size in a multi-stage process.
- Removing any oversized and undersized particles.
How Is Polyester Powder Coating Applied?
The process of applying polyester powder coating involves using a spray gun to coat the workpiece in electrically charged powder. Once this is done, you heat the workpiece to ensure the powder cures and bonds to the product’s surface, helping you create a protective layer. The result is a uniform and smooth finish similar to a painted finish. Before beginning the process, you may also sandblast the workpiece to further improve the finishing look.
How Thick Is Polyester Powder Coating?
The thickness of polyester powder coatings is typically greater than 30 microns. The exact number will vary depending on the coating supplier you work with and what the coating is for. For example, for items used in marine environments, you might apply a minimum of 60 microns.
Is Polyester Powder Coating Safe?
From certain perspectives, polyester powder coatings are relatively safe. For instance, the coating is safe in terms of environmental health. Otherwise, there are a few hazards to stay mindful of during the coating process. Dust clouds from excessive powder may result in a fire or dust explosion if ignited. For this reason, we advise implementing an exhaust system and always wearing safety equipment to ensure your personal health and safety.
Benefits of Polyester Powder Coating
Polyester powder coating can be a fantastic choice for a number of reasons. Here are five benefits of using polyester powder coating that make this coating a popular option for many.
1. Weather Resistant
Polyester powder coatings have a great resistance to heat and ultraviolet radiation, making them an excellent choice for harsh outdoor conditions. For this reason, they’re often applied to outdoor products like fences or metal and other heat-sensitive items.
2. Environmentally Friendly
If you are looking for a more sustainable solution, many polyester powder coatings are environmentally friendly because you can carry out this process without releasing any toxic emissions or waste. This also reduces the need for an intensive waste disposal process. While TGIC-type polyester powder coatings may release volatile organic compounds with excessive exposure to heat, you can avoid emitting harmful substances with most other polyester powders.
3. Economical
Since these coatings last longer and the process is fast, polyester powder coating can be particularly beneficial for manufacturers who carry out bulk productions. With polyester powder coatings, coating materials in bulk can make operational costs more economically feasible.
4. Chemical and Corrosion Resistant
With polyester powder coatings, you may be able to avoid damage from chemicals and corrosion, especially against alkalis and acids. Workpieces with polyester powder coatings will often work better in liquid mediums with different chemical concentrations than other coatings that may corrode in this condition.
5. Efficient for Use
Polyester powder coating is a great option for bulk production because the process of applying it is more efficient than with other traditional paints. It also allows for less waste since the coating particles provide maximum adhesion, and you can extract any unused or extra coating in the air with a chamber and reuse it.
What Industries and Products Are Polyester Powder Coating Used For?
You can use polyester powder coatings for a variety of industries and products. The most common materials used with this coating include metal surfaces like aluminum and steel. Here are a few of the industries that use polyester powder coatings most:
- Automotive industry: The automotive industry might use this coating for an intermediate finish on wheel finishing, external door surfaces and under-the-hood finishing.
- Furniture industry: Furniture manufacturing companies especially like to use this coating on outdoor furniture like tables, chairs, cages and metal benches.
- Architectural industry: Polyester powder coating’s resistance to fading makes it a notable option for fencing, guard rails, window frames and stadium seating.
- Home appliance industry: Appliance companies will often use this polyester powder coating on items like food utensils, refrigerators, microwave ovens and washing machines.
- Electronics industry: The electronics industry will mostly use this coating on external frames and surfaces of electronic appliances such as pumps and blenders for extra protection.
Get Polyester Powder Coating With Keystone Koating
Polyester powder coating is an ideal option for metal or outdoor workpieces and smooth external coatings. If you produce any of the equipment mentioned in this guide and require a coating that is weather- and corrosion-resistant, we recommend working with Keystone Koating to purchase your next coating.
Keystone Koating is a powder coating service that has been in the business for over 30 years. Our professionals handle everything from blasting and pretreatment to powder coating and curing. We encourage you to request a quote with Keystone Koating today to learn more about using polyester powder coating for your applications.