Top 5 powder coating myths

Powder coating is a versatile, hard-wearing coating method which can deliver vibrant colours and hard-wearing finishes... but it still suffers from some common myths. Many of these myths stem from out-dated information, improper coating techniques, or unclean parts. With improved technology and a wild range of new colours and finishes available powder coating is quickly becoming the favoured choice in manufacturing, architectural, and automotive industries, among countless others.

Here are five of the most common powder coat myths we hear:

1. "You can only get basic colours" - NO WAY!
   While some people still believe powder coat is a purely industrial finish, and you can only get basic or drab finishes, the truth is there are hundreds of colours and finishes available. Candy, fluro, and pearlescent finishes deliver rich, vivid hues with brilliant effects, while wrinkle/ripple, antique, Watersilk, hammertone, and sand-texture all compliment traditional satin, matte and gloss finishes.
    
2. "Parts don't fit after powder coating" - FALSE!
   As with wet paint, masking jobs is paramount to getting a quality finish. Some industrial coaters are used to dusting on powder in thick layers to suit heavy, hard-wearing finishes, which is why precision parts or specialty parts should be given to businesses who deal in specialty powder coating. Coaters should be taping or plugging threads to prevent powder from building inside those areas, which makes it difficult to refit fasteners in the same vein as wet-paint. Oxytech sell silicon plugs and caps, plus high-temp masking tapes, to make masking jobs a cinch. 
    
3. "Powder coating doesn't stick properly" - INCORRECT!
   This comes down to an error in one of three potential areas: job preparation, application, or baking. Properly applied, powder coating shows superior adherence properties over wet paint alternatives. As with wet paint the foundations of any good quality powder coating job is a clean base, so dirty, rusty or greasy parts need to be cleaned off or media blasted before they can be safely coated. As powder coating involves an electrostatic charge to stick the powder to the metal coaters don't need to layer thick coats of product on to get rich, colourful results, while bake times will differ depending on the job being coated. All of these factors need to work with one-another to ensure a high-quality coating job which will last for years to come, and this is why we tend to recommend experienced coaters. 
    
4. "Powder coating is impossible to remove" - FALSE!
   In the same vein as removing thick coats of wet paint, removing powder coat involves using solvents to strip the finish off and get back to the base metal, which can then be cleaned and re-coated. Different metals require different stripping techniques so as not to affect their chemical composition, so always check how you should strip off old paint or powder coat with your coater before proceeding.
    
5. "Powder coat takes ages to cure" - NO WAY!
   This is one of the most common fallacies, and probably the most factually incorrect. Once a coating job is cool to touch it is fully cured.