What is Powder Coating?

Contemporary powder coating is an advanced method of electrostatically applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products used in industry and by consumers. Some refer to powder coating as “dry paint.” Powder coatings are applied using pneumatic pumps and either manual or automatic electrostatic powder spray “guns” that give the powder an electrical charge. The substrate to be coated is grounded, so the charged powder is strongly attracted to it. Once sprayed (coated) the article is then heated (baked) in either a gas, electric or infrared oven until the powder particles melt and fuse into a durable, solid paint film. Baking (curing) times are a function of the film thickness, paint specifications and performance requirements.

The development of First Precision’s PowderCoil™ significantly improves the powder painting process. Our patented PowderJet technology is capable of overcoming the air boundary barrier that is present on the metal surface in high-speed metal processing lines (100 – 500 ft/min). This allows for the integration of powder painting in coil to coil operations, whereas previous powder gun technology was confined to small parts and slow-speed lines.