Powder coating comes with many hazards that you need to be aware of. When powder coating dust can form, you could inhale harmful chemicals, such as TGIC and lead chromate based pigments. You might injure yourself if you are not familiar with the process.

You must wear the right protective gear with so many hazards, understand the process, or seek professional help if you are unfamiliar with how powder coating works.

Powder for your powder coating process should be stored in certain conditions to make sure it remains usable. Ideally, you should store your powder in environments of 26°c of less, with a humidity level between 50% – 60% approximately.

Powder coating has a wide array of benefits; however, some benefits include durable, long-lasting, scratch-resistant, versatile and high-quality. Powder Coating gives consumers, businesses, and industries one of the most economical, longest lasting, and most color-durable quality finishes available on virtually any type of metal. Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading, and wearing than other finishes. Color selection is virtually unlimited with flat, satin, gloss, high gloss, metallic, candies, clear, iridescent, fluorescent, wrinkle, hammer tone, and glitter finishes available. Colors stay bright and vibrant longer. Texture selections range from smooth surfaces to wrinkled or matte finishes, and rough textures designed for hiding surface imperfections.

The short answer is yes, Powder coating is environmentally friendly as it contains no solvents that are harmful to the environment.

Solvent based paints are notorious polluters as the compounds contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Powder coating, on the other hand, contains no solvents and releases negligible, if any, amounts of VOC’s into the atmosphere. Therefore, there is no longer a need for finishers to buy and maintain costly pollution control equipment.

So, in a nutshell, yes.

Yes, powder coating is very time-consuming; however, a professional is likely to be quicker than someone with limited experience.

Powder coating is present on many buildings, due to its versatile nature. Some famous structures that have powder-coated elements include Wimbledon, Westminster Abbey and even Deventer Public Library, to name a few.

Thousands of products and parts are currently powder coated: such as appliances, car parts, motorcycle parts and frames, bicycles, lawn and garden furniture, antiques, and so on. Typically, if it is a metal part, it can be powder coated.

Powder coating non- metal objects:

As we mentioned, it is possible to powder coat most metal objects, even chrome plated ones. You can also powder coat non-metallic objects such as wood, glass, composites and even MDF but the technique is different. The solution to powder coating these items is pre-heating. You can heat up the object in the oven, remove the object, and powder coat it before it cools. When the powder hits the heated part, it will slightly melt on contact, causing it to stick. After coating the entire part like this, you then place the part back in the oven and cure it like normal.

Peeling Powder Coating – This is typically caused by poor adhesion caused by poor substrate preparation or insufficient curing. A good powder coating company will always ensure the item being coated is pre-treated and ready to be coated.

Dust Particles in the Finish – Can be a result of a dirty shop, dirty spray booth, inferior filters in the air supply, faulty spray booth filters and so on.

Orange Peel – An inexperienced powder coating facility or simply one who does not care about quality will often have issues with orange peel. This is often a result of improper particle size distribution and poor gun control.

Color Shade Difference Compared to other Panels – Again, insufficient equipment such as inadequate oven conditions and controls, or an oven with “Hot Spots” causes this. All work pieces must have the same curing conditions to create a consistent finish.

Pinholes on the Coated Surface – This stems from cross contamination or back ionisation. These are a result of a dirty powder coating system and also improper distance of gun to the part.

At Finishing First UK, all of our technicians have anywhere from 10-30 years experience in powder coating. We take pride in the care and preparation we offer as well as the quality and durability of the final finish.