Powder coating involves applying dry paint polymer to an object and curing it. Thermosetting and thermoplastic powder coating require different guns. Powder coating is environmentally friendly but produces dust, so protective clothing is necessary.
A powder coating gun is the primary tool used in the powder coating process, a surface finishing technique. It involves placing a dried paint polymer on the object to be painted and curing the object until the paint sets. There are two distinct forms of powder coating material called thermosetting and thermoplastic, and different types of powder coating guns must be used for each of these methods. Thermosetting powder paint guns have several ways of making sure the paint adheres to the substrate. Although these guns are relatively safe to use and do not pose a health risk, some precautions must still be taken to ensure user safety.
All powder coating methods operate around a single principle; users must apply dry paint to a substrate and bake it to ensure it sets. Powder coating techniques, however, differ in what happens after the substrate and paint are baked dry. Thermoplastic powder paints regain their original chemical composition when heated, while thermosetting powder paints are irreversibly cured. The thermoplastic powder coating technique requires the substrate to be lowered into a fluid bed of dry paint powder, and the coating guns used in this technique are complex sprays that mix the dry powder and air in a chamber.
Thermosetting powder coating is the most popular form of this method primarily because the equipment and materials needed are usually easy to obtain and relatively inexpensive. In thermosetting powder coating, spray guns, usually manual, spray the dry paint powder onto the substrate. The substrate is then placed in a paint oven at a temperature slightly above the melting point of the dry powder. Powder coating guns charge the powder so that it adheres to the substrate and stays there before it hardens. This electrostatic charge can be produced by friction, a technique used by tribocharged powder coating guns, or by a high voltage corona, a method used by corona-charged powder coating guns.
Powder coating is becoming a popular form of surface finishing not only because it is inexpensive, but also because it is considered environmentally friendly for users as well. The dry powder used in powder coating contains virtually no volatile organic compounds and the temperatures required for curing are so low that an ordinary household oven can produce them. However, the use of powder coating guns produces a large amount of dust, so protective clothing must be worn throughout the entire process. A fine filter mask, in particular, is a must when doing the dust application process.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
