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Everything beginner powder painter needs to know

Any business is difficult for beginners.  And painters in the powder industry are no exception. Of course, you can’t do without mistakes. But their number can be minimized if you’re properly prepared. In this article we will share the secrets of powder painting: we will tell you how to properly prepare the surface to be painted, what equipment is needed and what paint to use – all that a beginner painter needs to know for high-quality painting of metal surfaces.

Safety

First of all, it is worth taking care of the protective garment. Protect yourself from possible paint on your hair, beard or skin. To do this, get a hat and clothes with long sleeves and legs. Better if it is a special uniform.

It is also necessary to avoid inhalation of dust. To do this, check the availability of working ventilation systems and be sure to use a respirator to protect the respiratory system. It is worth wearing gloves to remove parts after polymerization so as not to cut or burn yourself.

Equipment selection

Think about what sizes of products will be painted. Based on this, choose equipment. Its internal dimensions must correspond to the products. If you can’t exactly determine the size, take equipment with a margin.

The polymerization furnace can run on gas or electricity. The first option is more expensive. The most common and affordable option for heating the furnace is tena.

The spraying chamber can be with a Cyclone recovery system or with filters. The first is better when the colors change no more than once a day. The second is suitable for frequent color changes.

For small and medium volumes of painting, it is worth using a tribostatic spray gun. It paints hard places and corners well. The electrostatic unit can be used for absolutely any volume. But its price is much more expensive.

Paint selection

Which powder coating to choose is one of the main questions that the painter asks at the beginning of his career.

There are 4 types of powder coating: polyester, epoxy-polyester, epoxy and polyurethane.

The first is intended for external use and painting products exposed to ultraviolet radiation. It withstands high atmospheric loads.

Epoxy-polyester paint is the best choice for metal products that will be situated indoors.

Epoxy powder coating should be used for painting materials exposed to chemicals and corrosive environments.

Polyurethane powder coating is used to protect the surface and give it a certain structure.

Surface preparation before powder coating

To paint products with powder coating with a high quality, without defects, it is necessary to properly prepare the surface.

Begin by cleaning. Any defects: oil and grease stains, rust, scale, slag or other must be removed. This can be done mechanically or by special means designed for each specific case. Then the material must be degreased. It may also be necessary to phosphate or chromate the metal.

Then the surface should be primed. This is necessary to get the best adhesion of the paint to the metal surface.

If the powder coating painter does not pay proper attention to cleaning the product, the paint will not adhere or you will get defects on the finish. And if it is unevenly degreased, the coating thickness will decrease on oil stains and increase at their borders.

After preparation, you can apply paint. This is done with a special spray gun, which during the spraying process performs an electrostatic charge of the powder mixture.

Spray gun setting

When applying powder coating in some places, thickenings may appear. This happens when the powder coating aggregates are not destroyed in the feeder and ejector, or it enters the gun in too high concentration. This can be fixed by reducing the air supply to the powder or increasing the air supply to the ejector.

You can also install the nozzle on a gun that prevents a direct stream of powder from falling onto the material.

Grounding
It is very important to ensure reliable grounding when applying powder coating using electrostatics. This, firstly, will protect you. And, secondly, it will provide high-quality application of paint. The fact is that due to poor grounding, powder coating does not adhere well to the surface.

Checking paint conditions
The paint will not adhere well to the product if moist air is used or the paint is stored incorrectly for a long time. Moisture may form in the container if the packaging is leaky or because of a sudden temperature drop.

Poor air with drops of moisture or oil also affects how the paint lays.

Find out what kind of paint you need!
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