Powder Coating 101

The powder coating process uses very fine dry particles of resin with the pigment color of your choice.  The resin powder is applied with a spray gun similar in concept to applying  solvent based paint.  The difference is this spray gun and it's resin contents are electrostatically charged.  When the resin powder is sprayed onto a part it sticks to the metal because it's grounded, attracting charged resin powder like a magnet. The charged powder adheres to the metal then melted by baking at 400F degrees in special industrial sized ovens.  The melted resin fuses to the metal, providing a uniform, thick and durable finish. 

Here you see a bicycle rim getting a coat of brilliant red.

The result is a beautiful glossy finish that is very resistant to chemicals, wear and chipping,  3 times stronger than solvent based paints. Powder coating simply provides a quality finish that can be seen and felt for years.

Solvent based wet paint application can be sensitive to weather conditions such as temperature and humidity, resulting in varied quality with runs or orange peeled finishes.  In addition to weather, the skill of the painter can also affect the consistency in quality.   But since powder coating uses a charged metal attraction in the coating process is more tolerant to get a consistent high quality finishing in any weather, even with intricate parts.

Clear Coat Protection

Powder coating can also be used as a "clear coat" to protect metal without adding color.  Examples are polished aluminum, stainless steal, or brass items.  Clear coating resists the natural oxidation that will occur from exposure to the elements.    A clear coat can also be added on top of any color coat for extra luster and depth.

What Can Be Powder Coated?

All metal objects that can can be electrostatically charged and withstand 400F can be powder coated.  And since the powder coating process is environmentally friendly with no solvent emissions it's the preferred method to finish any metal in California, the most strictly regulated state in the country for emissions.

The fact is, the durability of powder coating is far superior to solvent paints.  So if quality and durability are important to you, powder coating is the best protection for almost anything that's metal.