Aside from achieving an impressive finish, there are several reasons why specialty powder coatings are very popular in the industry today. Some of these advantages include:
Ready to use
Specialty powder coating is available as ready to use products. There is no need for it to be added with catalysts or solvents for them to work. Adding solvents and catalysts are essential in liquid paints but not with powder coatings.
Reduces fire hazards
Since there is no solvent involved in the process, the risks of fire hazard s are highly reduced. This means savings for insurance premiums and an increased safety in the workplace or plants. The savings you get can be used for more capital and operation costs.
Environment-friendly
Specialized powder coating is one of the most eco-friendly coating processes as it does not facilitate wastage of solvents which can also be costly on your part as solvents can be expensive. During application and stoving process, solvents volatilize and this is very harmful to the environment. The gas from solvents cannot be controlled nor recovered. Some areas have already created legislations for the prohibition of discharging solvent to the atmosphere and have required plants to use after-burners to eliminate solvents or at least decrease its harmful effects to the environment.
Reduced waste and disposal issues
Unlike water sprays, powder coatings do not contribute to the growing waste disposal problems. Liquid paint systems involve water wash spray booths wherein water is emulsified and led to a designated drain but in other cases, emulsified water is stored in sludge tanks for it to settle out.
Zero air pollution
Specialty powder coating does not, in any way, contribute to air pollution since its over sprayed can be recovered and no powder escapes to the atmosphere during the process. This is also the reason why powder coating is preferred by environmentalists and also by those who want to save money on their painting or coating processes.
Reduced health risks to workers
Powders do not contain hazardous materials such as solvent which can be hazardous to those who inhale it. Studies show that workers exposed to solvent have increased health problems related to throat, mouth and nose irritation especially during hot weather among liquid paint plants. Getting in contact with liquid paint requires washing off of solvent and after which, with soap and water. This greatly exposes a worker to the hazards of solvent and when liquid paint is not properly removed, this result to skin irritations. Specialty powder coating does not have these issues. Powder does not cause skin irritation except for those who have inherent allergy to powder. When exposed to paint powder, one can easily remove it with warm water.