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Powder coating equipment includes electrostatic spray guns, fluidized beds, paint booths, and curing ovens. The fluid bed dipping process is an older method, while electrostatic spray guns are commonly used. Recovery systems can save money by reusing overspray. Curing ovens are necessary for thermosetting polymers.
There are different types of powder coating equipment used for metal coating. The most common types of powder coating application equipment include the electrostatic spray gun and the fluidized bed. These are used to evenly coat the workpiece with powder, creating a chip resistant finish that is more durable than a traditional varnish finish. Other types of powder coating equipment include recovery systems, paint booths, and curing ovens.
One of the oldest methods of applying powder coating is the fluid bed dipping process. A basic fluidized bed consists of a reservoir, an air supply, and a plenum, or membrane, which allows air to pass but no solids. When air is introduced into the plenum, the thermoplastic powder is suspended or liquefied. The heated piece is then dipped into the liquefied powder. Some fluidized beds also have the ability to electrostatically charge the powder, allowing for the use of a harder thermoset polymer instead of thermoplastic powder.
Among the newer and more commonly used types of powder coating equipment are electrostatic spray guns. There are three basic types of powder coating spray guns. All rely on a fluidized bed or tank to hold the powder and an air supply to fluidize the powder and deliver it to the gun. The main difference between these three types of powder coating equipment is the mechanism used to apply the filler to the thermosetting polymer.
The most commonly used powder coating gun is the corona gun. This type of gun uses a source of electrical energy to impart an electrostatic charge as the powder leaves the gun. Tribo guns create the charge with friction by accelerating the powder through a narrow passage before exiting the gun, and bell guns simply eject the powder from the edge of a bell-shaped opening.
Other types of powder coating equipment used during the spray process include paint booths and recovery equipment. The spray booth is an enclosure designed to keep the powder contained in one area during the painting process. A powder coating booth can be small enough to house a single operator or large enough to house a conveyor system for moving large quantities of parts.
Many spray booths incorporate a recovery system. Usually contained within the booth enclosure, the recovery system uses a fan to draw fresh air into the spray booth and prevent overspray from escaping the booth. This piece of powder coating equipment can also help save money, because the collected overspray can often be reused.
If a thermosetting polymer is used, there is one more step in the process. The coated part must be cured. This step requires powder coating equipment called a curing oven. Raise the temperature of the part high enough for the powder to undergo a chemical change called crosslinking. Curing ovens are available in convection or infrared designs.
