Powder coating is a dry finishing process, using finely ground particles of pigment and resin that are generally electrostatically charged and sprayed onto electrically ground parts. The charged powder particles adhere to the parts and are held there until melted and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. Before coating, the parts must be pretreated similar to liquid coated parts.

The raw powder coatings, composed of resin, curing agent and pigments are mixed dry and then melt mixed or extruded. Once cooled, the mixture is chipped and ground into finely divided particles. The chips are ground to a very specific particle size distribution depending on the application.

The particle size is important to the performance and appearance of the coating. The size of the powder particle can have an influence on the behavior of the material in the painting process and the final film characteristics.

Linetec is a member of the Powder Coating Institute