Powder Curing Everyday Products in Your Home

Posted: Aug 22, 2018 | Categories: Powder Coating

You might be surprised to learn that many of the items you use every day are powder coated. Powder coating is an alternative to liquid paint during the finishing process of products. The application process for powder holds the coating securely to the item, creating a more durable surface than liquid paint.

Many household items have gone through a powder coating oven. Powder coating works both large items such as decorative gates, furniture, benches, and doors, and smaller items including fixtures, bathroom scales, antennas, and microwave ovens. Thumbtacks undergo powder curing, as it is much cheaper to powder coat these tiny tacks than it is to paint them.

Powder Curing Process

Manufacturers use curing ovens to powder coat items, but the process of powder coating begins long before the product hits the oven. The powder coating process starts with a pretreatment that helps the powder stick to the surface of the product. This pretreatment usually involves an abrasive action with the use of sand or bead blasting, which removes oils, rust, and other substances that might prevent the powder from adhering to the product. Pretreatment is especially important for recycled products, as the blasting process removes old coats of paint from the metal.

After treating the surface, manufacturers then apply the powder through an electrostatic gun as the product moves through a paint booth. Shooting the powder gives it an electric charge, which helps to create a consistent coating.  Next, the manufacturer moves the product to a curing oven. The heat produced by the curing oven causes the powder to gel and cure, resulting in an aesthetic and durable finish.

Manufacturers use one of two types of powder, thermoset or thermoplastic, to coat a particular part. They most commonly use thermoset powder coating because it creates an attractive, finished look to the treated surface area. Thermoset powder reacts with other chemical groups in the powder when exposed to the high heats of a curing oven, and this reaction creates a tougher polymerized surface that improves the performance properties of the piece.

The benefit of using thermoset in powder curing is that further heating cannot melt the finish back into a liquid form. This means the finish maintains its appearance and function even when subjected to high temperatures.

Thermoplastic powder, on the other hand, does not permanently change during the baking process and will therefore melt when heated. This means manufacturers can remold and reshape items made with thermoplastic powder. Thermoplastic powders create functional, flexible, and durable coatings for refrigerator shelves, metal benches, and other everyday items.

Powder curing brings style and durability to your home – and beyond. Because it is available in a wide variety of colors and textures, a growing number of manufacturers use powder curing in the finishing stages of their products. You will find powder-cured products in your home, your yard, and nearly everywhere you go.

Powder Coating Ovens

Wisconsin Ovens offers several industrial curing ovens in both batch and continuous configurations that may be used for powder coating applications. These batch and conveyor powder curing ovens are designed to provide excellent temperature uniformity and meet customer’s specific process requirements. To learn more about the industrial curing ovens from Wisconsin Oven visit our website or contact our sales team at sales@wisoven.com.

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Tags: powder curing, Powder Coating, powder coating and finishing applications

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