Powder coated metal has become the material of choice for manufacturers and businesses in recent years. With so many benefits associated with it, powder coated metal can help you to reduce costs, improve quality and increase productivity within your business.
So, what exactly are the benefits of powder coated metal?
1. INCREASED DURABILITY
When metal is powder coated, it becomes far more durable than when it’s uncoated. While most metals will succumb to rust and corrosion over time, powder coated metal is corrosion-proof. While this is beneficial for any end-user, it’s particularly important for commercial equipment.
When you’re using specialized or generic equipment for business purposes, chances are it’s going to be used frequently.
With heavy use, equipment will naturally reach the end of its life more quickly. For businesses, investing in new machinery and equipment can be a significant cost. By having your equipment powder coated, you can lengthen the lifespan of your equipment and save money in the process.
2. IMPROVED COVERAGE
Before the use of powder coating, many businesses relied on paint or chrome to coat metal equipment and tools. Of course, these options weren’t suitable for everything, which meant some things couldn’t be protected at all. While paint and chrome did add some level of protection to unfinished metal, it is a costly and time-consuming process to coat metal in these materials.
In addition to that, the level of coverage attained is variable, at best. When coating metal in wet paint, for example, the risk of undercoating or overcoating is high. When dealing with intricate equipment, achieving even coverage is nearly impossible. As a result, parts of your equipment remains vulnerable to rust and corrosion.
With powder coated material, however, seamless coverage can be attained quickly. As powder coating is applied using an electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) process, it provides a uniform coating across every surface of your metal equipment and easily finds its way into those little nooks and crannies that paint may have trouble adhering to.
This ensures your commercial equipment is entirely coated and properly protected.
The efficient nature of powder coating means that it can be more cost-effective than using either wet paints or chrome.
3. IT IS MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAN ALTERNATIVES
Unlike other metal coating processes, powder coating doesn’t involve the use of volatile organic compounds. Sometimes known as VOCs, these compounds can be extremely damaging to the environment and their use is discouraged by the Environmental Protection Agency. As well as causing damage to the environment, consistent exposure to these organic compounds is thought to be harmful to humans too.
This presents major problems for businesses. Firstly, exposing your workers to the potentially harmful VOCs found in other metal coatings could be a legal minefield. If an employee was to become ill due to working with these materials, there is a risk that your firm could be liable.
Secondly, consumers are paying closer attention to the impact businesses have on the environment. With many consumers choosing to engage with companies based on their carbon footprint and eco-friendly policies, the continued use of coatings containing VOCs could cause you to lose business.
With powder coated metal, however, you can mitigate these risks. Powder coatings don’t contain negligible amounts of VOCs, your employees won’t be exposed to the potentially harmful toxins present in other forms of metal coating.
Applied using pollution-free processes, switching to powder coated metal can have a beneficial impact on your employees, your sales, your business, and the environment.
4. ENHANCED QUALITY
Powder coating can be applied more uniformly than any other type of metal coatings. This ensures consistently high quality is maintained at all times. When powder coating commercial equipment, for example, it’s vital that the same standards are achieved on all pieces of machinery. Any deviation or variation in the coating could affect how the equipment performs and, therefore, the quality of its outputs.
When you switch to powder coated metals, you can benefit from superior quality across your product line. As all machinery is coated to exactly the same standard, there will be no subsequent change in performance from machine to machine. As a result, you can operate at consistently high levels and minimize quality control issues.
When quality control issues are present, they typically account for a significant amount of waste and costs. Many businesses use a considerable amount of their budget merely accounting for products that haven’t made it through their quality control standards. Powder coated metal can prevent this from happening.
With longer-lasting machinery, even coverage and superior durability, the quality of your product can be enhanced and improved when you switch to powder coated metal.
WHAT CAN POWDER COATED METALS BE USED FOR?
There are endless uses for powder coated metals, and you’ll see them in almost every industry around the world. As well as being used to keep commercial equipment up to a high standard, many firms use powder coated metal when producing consumer goods.
This means that powder coated metal is a first-choice process for metal fabricators, equipment manufacturers, and consumer goods retailers.
Although it’s widely used across all sectors, you’ll see powder coated metal most commonly used in:
THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Powder coating is routinely used on door handles, bumpers, decorative trim, hubcaps, engine parts, filters, radiators, and even bodywork. It can also be used on commercial farming vehicles and machinery, such as tractors.
HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND GOODS
Powder coating can be found on the panels of refrigerators, freezers, dryers, washing machines, freezers, and ovens, as well as in dryer drums, dishwasher racks and inside microwaves. It is also used on everyday items that need to stand up to the elements, such as metal furniture, cabinets, baby strollers, lawnmowers, barbecues, and patio furniture.
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Often you will see powder coating on door frames, window frames, modular furniture, guardrails, posts, fencing, signs, and lampposts. It is also often used on heavy machinery used to build homes and commercial businesses.
MILITARY EQUIPMENT
A well-known initiative in the military powder coatings is the Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) Powder Topcoats for use on the Army’s equipment. Since military equipment is often subjected to some of the harshest conditions and heavy use, having the best protection for those pieces of equipment is extremely important.
As you can see, powder coated metal is incredibly versatile and the perfect choice for almost all of your metal equipment. If it is good enough for the military to protect their equipment, it is likely going to work well for your business. Our team of experts at PowderTech can help you determine the best coating for your machines and equipment. Contact us today at (316) 832-9210 or click here to request a quote. We look forward to hearing from you!