
5 Benefits of Powder Coating Ovens
Powder coating ovens have emerged as a valuable alternative to traditional painting methods with a plethora of benefits for generating highly functional metal components with excellent surface characteristics and corrosion-resistant properties. In this blog post, Thermcraft explores the five chief benefits of powder coating ovens in more detail.
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Solvent-Free Surface Protection
Powder coating ovens project a free-flowing stream of charged powder particles onto a substrate prior to curing at relatively low temperatures (>200°C). This powder stream is dry and solvent-free, ensuring compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations regarding the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
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Thicker Uniform Coatings
An additional drawback of liquid coating is the tendency towards aesthetic and topographical flaws with thicker coatings. Powder coating ovens generally use electrostatic methods to ensure optimal bonding between powder particles and the metallic substrate. In spray painting, only the bottom layer of paint readily attaches to the substrate which can cause subsequent layers to run or sag. This issue is eliminated in powder coating.
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Improved Optical Regularity
Paint often exhibits optical variations depending on the direction of application. By comparison, powder coating ovens typically impart little to no visual differences between vertical and horizontal planes of application. This ensures the highest optical uniformity for commercial coatings with good gloss and color retention.
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Specialty Capabilities
Liquid coatings are extremely limited in terms of their functionalities. As well as providing a corrosion-resistant synthetic skin, powder coatings can be engineered for a range of additional capabilities. Depending on the chemistry of the applied powders, electrostatic coatings can improve the mechanical and chemical performance of the substrate, while providing good electrical insulation capabilities.
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Higher Throughput
Powder coating ovens typically require significantly decreased curing times to the drying periods of liquid paints. It also eschews the mandatory preparatory stages of paint preparation such as mixing and thinning. This demonstrates significant cost-savings in high throughput manufacturing environments.
Powder Coating Ovens from Thermcraft
Thermcraft is one of the world’s leading suppliers of powder coating ovens for industrial applications. If you would like to learn more, read our previous post Using Powder Coating Ovens in the Automotive Sector. Otherwise, contact us directly with any questions.