- Email: [email protected]
Powder Coat MDF for an Enviable Finished Product
F O C US that any they choose are readily available. “This is a significant leap for our Powder Coatings business in the increasingly digital world,” explained Russell Deane, Global Specification Manager for Powder Coatings. “The tool also suggests available colors that complement the ones you choose, so we’re effectively offering our color expertise online.” Early feedback has been very positive, with a representative from French applicator Metacolor saying, “We are often asked by our customers for certain colors that we don’t have visuals for. This new color palette helps a lot and allows us to direct customers to well-defined choices.” Original Source: Paint & Coatings Industry, 16 Jan 2015, (website: http://www.pcimag.com/articles/100072-akzonobellaunches-digital-powder-coatings-color-palette) © BNP Media 2015
Powder Coating: An Annual Trends Forecast The powder coating industry had been asleep for nearly a decade. Two recessions, off-shoring, overcapacity and slim profit margins cast this outstanding coating technology into a funk. R&D budgets were decimated and far too many experts either retired or got out of the business. Fortunately in the last four to five years the industry has experienced a resurgence in innovation. Technologists are finally heeding the call to develop new materials and processes to meet the emerging needs of the manufacturing sector. The latest trends in the manufacturing sector have inspired powder coating innovations developed to meet these transformations. These include: powder coating of plastics, low temperature cure, bio-based polymers, high-density/low-velocity application, robotics and novel curing techniques. Recent advances in powder coating technology are impacting the architectural, automotive, agricultural and appliance industries. The methods and materials of manufacture are changing. Metal bending, casting and extrusion are being replaced by injection molding, FEBRUARY 2015
O N
POWDER
compression molding and pultrusion. Powder coating technology is evolving to meet the needs of these new processes and materials. High temperature resistance plastics such as Nylon, PMMA, PEEK and to a lesser extent fiberglass reinforced polymers (FRP) can be powder coated with relatively conventional powders with minimal process modifications. However it will take significant effort to develop novel powder materials to finish commodity type plastics. Material scientists and equipment engineers are diligently working to make this a reality in the not-to-distant future. Original Source: Powder Coated Tough, Buyers Guide 2015, 8 (6) 6 (Website: http://digitalmedia.powdercoating.org/PCT2015Buye rsGuide/index.html) © The Powder Coating Institute 2015
C O AT I N G S helping us reclaim as much as 98 percent of the powder overspray as well.) Another round of heating will cause the powder to permanently bond to the surface of the wood. There are a many benefits to powder-coated MDF. A powder finish offers the advantages of both protection and style to consumers. Powder coating makes the wood products resistant to stains and damage caused by direct sunlight, and the MDF is protected from scratches, rough handling, chemical or water spills, and temperature extremes. And color options for powder coating are nearly unlimited, giving designers ultimate flexibility. So let’s get into the seven main benefits of powder coating wood. Original Source: Products Finishing, Feb 2015 79 (8), 20 (website: http://www.pfonline.com) © Gardner Business Media 2015
Powder Coat MDF for an Enviable Finished Product Cabinet maker says powder coating offers more benefits. Researchers found that medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is the best ligneous material for powder coating. MDF is an engineered board consisting of various mixed and compressed wood fibers, adhesives and resins. An MDF board has a surface that is not as porous as other woods and is also uniform. Three factors contribute to getting the powder to apply to wood: the wood itself, the heat applied and the powder charge. Another important requirement of the MDF boards we use is that they have five to seven percent moisture content. That moisture will be used to render the board conductive. The board is heated to a high temperature very quickly in order to draw the moisture to the surface and make it conductive. After being sprayed, the board is again heated so that the powder will gel, flow, and bond to the wood. As it flows, the powder wraps around the edges of the part, creating a smooth and seamless finish. An infrared catalytic oven is used for both the preheat and gel portions of the process to heat the surface of the MDF boards. Automatic spray guns impart a negative charge to the powder quickly drawing it to the grounded part. (The charge plays a role in
Powder-Coated Surfaces Go Digital Graphics, images and natural finishes can be embedded on powder-coated surfaces using a new system. Dlubak Powder Coating & Design has introduced a custom digital imaging process for steel, glass, aluminum and other substrates. The process, known as Astral, takes “decorative finishes to the next level” providing a durable, yet vibrant presentation to the substrate, according to the Kittanning, PA manufacturer. The Astral system embeds digital images, graphics and natural finishes for signage, shelving, windows, product displays and more, according to the company. It is recommended for use in both interior and exterior applications. The image is embedded through the entire thickness of the powder coating. Moreover, the finish is resistant to abrasion, humidity, corrosion, light, and is non-combustible, the company says. The process is environmentally friendly, utilizing recyclable substrates, transfer medium and water-based inks. Moreover, the company says powder coatings emit zero or near net zero volatile organic compounds (VOC). Original Source: Durability and Design (online version), Dec 2014, (website: http://www.durabilityanddesign.com) ©Technology Publishing, Co. 2014
5
Powder Coating: An Annual Trends Forecast The powder coating industry had been asleep for nearly a decade. Two recessions, off-shoring, overcapacity and slim profit margins cast this outstanding coating technology into a funk. R&D budgets were decimated and far too many experts either retired or got out of the business. Fortunately in the last four to five years the industry has experienced a resurgence in innovation. Technologists are finally heeding the call to develop new materials and processes to meet the emerging needs of the manufacturing sector. The latest trends in the manufacturing sector have inspired powder coating innovations developed to meet these transformations. These include: powder coating of plastics, low temperature cure, bio-based polymers, high-density/low-velocity application, robotics and novel curing techniques. Recent advances in powder coating technology are impacting the architectural, automotive, agricultural and appliance industries. The methods and materials of manufacture are changing. Metal bending, casting and extrusion are being replaced by injection molding, FEBRUARY 2015
O N
POWDER
compression molding and pultrusion. Powder coating technology is evolving to meet the needs of these new processes and materials. High temperature resistance plastics such as Nylon, PMMA, PEEK and to a lesser extent fiberglass reinforced polymers (FRP) can be powder coated with relatively conventional powders with minimal process modifications. However it will take significant effort to develop novel powder materials to finish commodity type plastics. Material scientists and equipment engineers are diligently working to make this a reality in the not-to-distant future. Original Source: Powder Coated Tough, Buyers Guide 2015, 8 (6) 6 (Website: http://digitalmedia.powdercoating.org/PCT2015Buye rsGuide/index.html) © The Powder Coating Institute 2015
C O AT I N G S helping us reclaim as much as 98 percent of the powder overspray as well.) Another round of heating will cause the powder to permanently bond to the surface of the wood. There are a many benefits to powder-coated MDF. A powder finish offers the advantages of both protection and style to consumers. Powder coating makes the wood products resistant to stains and damage caused by direct sunlight, and the MDF is protected from scratches, rough handling, chemical or water spills, and temperature extremes. And color options for powder coating are nearly unlimited, giving designers ultimate flexibility. So let’s get into the seven main benefits of powder coating wood. Original Source: Products Finishing, Feb 2015 79 (8), 20 (website: http://www.pfonline.com) © Gardner Business Media 2015
Powder Coat MDF for an Enviable Finished Product Cabinet maker says powder coating offers more benefits. Researchers found that medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is the best ligneous material for powder coating. MDF is an engineered board consisting of various mixed and compressed wood fibers, adhesives and resins. An MDF board has a surface that is not as porous as other woods and is also uniform. Three factors contribute to getting the powder to apply to wood: the wood itself, the heat applied and the powder charge. Another important requirement of the MDF boards we use is that they have five to seven percent moisture content. That moisture will be used to render the board conductive. The board is heated to a high temperature very quickly in order to draw the moisture to the surface and make it conductive. After being sprayed, the board is again heated so that the powder will gel, flow, and bond to the wood. As it flows, the powder wraps around the edges of the part, creating a smooth and seamless finish. An infrared catalytic oven is used for both the preheat and gel portions of the process to heat the surface of the MDF boards. Automatic spray guns impart a negative charge to the powder quickly drawing it to the grounded part. (The charge plays a role in
Powder-Coated Surfaces Go Digital Graphics, images and natural finishes can be embedded on powder-coated surfaces using a new system. Dlubak Powder Coating & Design has introduced a custom digital imaging process for steel, glass, aluminum and other substrates. The process, known as Astral, takes “decorative finishes to the next level” providing a durable, yet vibrant presentation to the substrate, according to the Kittanning, PA manufacturer. The Astral system embeds digital images, graphics and natural finishes for signage, shelving, windows, product displays and more, according to the company. It is recommended for use in both interior and exterior applications. The image is embedded through the entire thickness of the powder coating. Moreover, the finish is resistant to abrasion, humidity, corrosion, light, and is non-combustible, the company says. The process is environmentally friendly, utilizing recyclable substrates, transfer medium and water-based inks. Moreover, the company says powder coatings emit zero or near net zero volatile organic compounds (VOC). Original Source: Durability and Design (online version), Dec 2014, (website: http://www.durabilityanddesign.com) ©Technology Publishing, Co. 2014
5