Powder Coating Performance Characteristics
Manufacturers can’t succeed if their products don’t live up to customers’ expectations. This is true no matter the industry, but it’s amplified when it comes to sectors such as aerospace, automotive and defense. These industries demand more of their equipment. Whether it’s the extreme stresses placed on it through intensive use or the punishing conditions of the environments in which they’re used, the products have to endure a lot.
This is why industrial manufacturing companies and their employees rely on durable powder coatings to help protect what they build. The rugged nature of these finishes makes them superior to liquid paint in multiple ways, because they offer added protection from damage and wear. However, there are numerous types of powder coatings, and not all are created equal. Each one brings something different to the table.
Understanding a powder coating’s unique characteristics is essential for finding the right one for the specific application. For instance, choosing an epoxy finish makes the final product extremely resistant to chemicals. This finish is not UV-stable, though, so it must be used indoors to get the best performance. Its qualities are well-suited for finishing vessels or pipelines that would be used inside a chemical processing facility. Although polyurethane is more stable than epoxy, it must be cured with much higher temperatures. This limits the number of applicators that may be able to provide such services.
Manufacturers and industrial workers rely on powders to help protect their equipment, but choosing the wrong one can be counterproductive. For more information on powder coating characteristics, see the accompanying guide.