Powder coatings - what's next?

Citation

Bean, J. (1999), "Powder coatings - what's next?", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 28 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.1999.12928daa.005

Powder coatings - what's next?

Powder coatings - what's next?

Keyword: Powder coatings

The above was the title of a PRA symposium held at the NEC, Birmingham, in March in conjunction with the Powder Coating 99 Exhibition organised by Surface World. Of the 13 papers given only three could really be said to cover "new" developments.

Dr Yves Merck of UCB Chemicals, Belgium, dealt with super-durable polyesters. It included definition of super-durable polyesters, correlation of performance with structures, aliphatic polyesters and acrylics for powders. It reviewed and compared European and US standards; climatic factors (sun, pollutants) responsible for degradation; accelerated tests and natural exposure in Florida and correlation with other locations; guarantee scheme for super-durable systems, involving the entire chain from alloy to pre-treatment, choice of pigment, etc.

Dr John M. Bronk and Edmund Mahn of McWhorter Technologies, USA, gave a paper on "Developments in the design of polyester resins in nonemissive powder coatings". New polyester resins designed for use with uretdione curatives have enabled significant reductions in cure time to be achieved. The polyester/uretdione system provides powder coatings with unique cured film properties in the areas of impact resistance, flexibility, gloss and reactivity. A statistical design approach was used to identify the candidate polyester resins for the selected uretdione curative.

The use of antimicrobial agents in powder coatings was the subject of a paper from S. Harris of BioCote UK. Since the concept of introducing antimicrobial agents into powder coatings was first discussed in March 1997, a considerable amount of development has broadened the scope of this patented novel process to extend its use into all of the major powder coating chemistries. Evidence was given to substantiate the long lasting effectiveness of this system.

Perhaps the most significant - and relevant to today's market position - paper came from British consultant David Howell. The essence of his paper was that despite overwhelming environmental advantages, powder coatings have not achieved their predicted penetration into the industrial coatings market. Growth has been achieved as a result predominantly of developments in resins and other raw materials, whereas the manufacturing process has remained unchanged for 30 years. Provocatively he added:

Perhaps this is a result of powder manufacture residing in the hands of paint companies.

Another consultant, Mike Cowley of Ad-Qual had this to say prior to the PRA conference, writing in the journal Product Finishing, January 1999.

I understand we have a coating powder mountain in the UK, and possibly Europe, and this probably restricts research and development of new materials. It seems most research and development is happening elsewhere, particularly in the Far East and the US.

Is there anybody out there listening to Messrs Howell and Cowley?