Powder Varnishes
Basic Characteristics of Powder Paints
Powder paints are a modern and environment - friendly solution for surface treatment of many products. Powder paints belong to the group of so called industrial organic coatings. They consists of a mixture of resins, pigments and possibly other raw materials, providing the powder paints e.g. with hardness, shine or required matt depth, creating structural surface, etc. The mixture has a dry powder consistence. The powder paint is not diluted in any way for application purposes and it is not dissolved in any liquid. It is applied in powder form using pressed air creating liquid mixture after being mixed with the powder.
Production of Powder Paints
Unlike liquid organic finishes, when individual parts are mixed and they react together in water or solvent solution in the course of production, the individual parts of powder paints are mixed in the melt. Then, the melt is extracted by the production device to the cooling rolls and after cooling down it is milled in special mills to required roughness of powder mass elements. The resulting mass is the final product - the powder paint.
Range of Use of Powder Paints
At the present time, you can meet product with powder paint coat practically everywhere. Powder paint application is used on products of so called white program (washers, refrigerators, kitchen stoves, microwave ovens), metal furniture and household accessories, safes, locks, hangers, consumer electronics covers, bicycles, sport and fitness equipment, office and study accessories, magnetic boards, small items that we can standardly meet (shorehorns, openers), parts for automotive industry (brake-pad plates, wheel discs, metal parts of interior, many components for motorcycles), radiators, extinguishers, letter boxes, lighting elements and fittings, bottles for perfumes and some types of alcohol drinks, decorative pots, cigarette and tobacco cases, electric distribution boxes, armatures and many others
Classification based on carriers, their characteristics
Thermo sets are wide spread and generally used powder paints.
Depending on carriers, we divide them into the following types:
Designed for Interiors
- Epoxy (EP) – designed exclusively for interior use. They are very well resistant to corrosion and some chemical substances.
- Epoxy - polyester (PEP), so called hybrids or generally called „mixes“, they are currently most frequently used powder paints. They are designed mainly for interior use, but they can also be used for products facing weather influences on short.-term basis.
Designed for Exteriors
- Polyester powder paints (PES) – they are designed mainly for exterior use due to their high resistance to UV radiation and other weather effects.
- Polyurethane powder paints (PUR) – they are highly resistant to weather influences. Transparent polyurethane powder paints show high clarity.
- Acrylate powder paints (AC) can be used even in exteriors, their strong points include i.a. high resistance to chemical substances.
Colour Scheme, Type Scheme
The most wide used in the market are the epoxy, hybrid and polyester powder paints. These powder paints are generally produced in many appearance types and a really wide scale of tints. The scale of tints is usually based on internationally recognised colour chart RAL . Powder paints are manufactured in high gloss up to deep matt types. Depending on their surface, powder paints can be classified as smooth-surface types, fine structural surface types and rough structural surface types.
Along with these basic types there are also manufactured powder paints with various appearance effects (for example so called metallic paints, antiques, shells, glitters, etc.).
Application of Powder Paints
Powder paints are applied to suitably pre-treated base, free of any chemical and mechanical impurities.
The powder paint is mixed with pressure air in an application device and it is driven from the tank through a hose to the application pistol and sprayed on the product. So as the applied powder sticks on the surface, the application device provides it with electrostatic power causing attraction of its particles to sprayed product and consequent sticking to it. It is said that the powder is „charged“ in the application device. The „charging“ is arranged in two basic ways: friction with the inner walls of the special application pistol, made of teflon (so called tribo) or by obtaining the charge using the high voltage electrode placed in the outlet of the application pistol so called corona or statics).
Consequent hardening in toughening furnace finishes the whole application process. After hardening, the product is taken out of the furnace and after cooling down, it is immediately ready for assemblage, completion, or possibly even for packing and forwarding.
The powder paints are a single-layer paining system that does not require application of primary coats and no drying is needed after application. This characteristics allows reaching quite high work productivity as well as economic savings in case of optimal managing of the application technology.
Ecology and Waste
The great advantages of surface treatment with powder paints include environment friendly conditions of operation and ecological parameters of final coat characteristics compared to surface treatment with application of most of common liquid paints. The powder technologies do not use solvents, the substance is applied in powder form and in case of technologies with the possibility of powder re-circulation is the application waste really minimal. More, the residual powder paint (waste from spraying) can be regenerated under specific conditions and then re-used.
Storage of Powder Paints
Fulfilment of optimal conditions while storing powder paints affects not only their service life but it also significantly affects the quality of application. Optimal conditions for storage of powder paints are met in dry and isolated premises where the ambient temperature is below do 25 °C. Powder paints must also be protected from wetting and sudden oscillations of temperature that may cause wetting due to condensed moist on inner package surfaces.
Zinc dipping
Zinc dipping means that steel is preliminarily treated (degreased) and alloyed by dipping to liquid zinc melt and it is coated with zinc. The zinc coat makes an alloy with the steel. It is inseparably connected with the steel and so it is suitable for all and any internal and external surfaces. The resistance of zinc coating depends on conditions it faces. It reaches the time of 20 up to 40 years, depending on environment and atmosphere conditions.
Summary
Zinc dipping is the best system for steel protection against corrosion. It offers a large number of real advantages that should be known to any client.
We distinguish the following types of zinc coating:
- durable
- resistant
- maintenance free
- cathode protected
- time-saving
- reliable
- favourable price
- optimal, even in cavities and on edges
- easily controllable
- good looking and environment friendly
Decorative Zinc Coating
Suspension Zinc Coating
We perform it on basic material of steel, cast iron. Galvanically discharged zinc coat in light acid zinc-coating baths in following versions:
- no passivation (under KTL)
- with passivation by blue trivalent chromate + sealing with transparent varnish
- with passivation by yellow hexavalent chromate + sealing with transparent varnish
Maximal dimensions of electroplated parts: 2000 x 1000 x 250 mm.
Bulk Zinc Coating
We perform it on basic material of steel, cast iron. Galvanically discharged zinc coat in light acid zinc-coating baths in following versions:
- with passivation by blue trivalent chromate
- with passivation by yellow hexavalent chromate
The dimensions of electroplated parts are from 3 to 120 mm and minimal technological dose is 2 kg.
Decorative chrome plating
We perform plating with any system of anti-corrosion coats with high corrosion resistance. We apply to basic material of iron, steel (except for stainless steel), alloy of copper, zinc and with some part of Cu even aluminium. Preparation of material by grinding, brushing, polishing (all of that based on agreement with the client). DCr is a combination of multi-layer coat, consisting of:
- Cu coat of alkaline bath 5 – 8 µm (copper pre-plating)
- Cu coat of glossy acid bath 10 – 15 µm (copper plating)
- Ni semi-glossy acid bath 10 – 15 µm (semi-glossy nickel plating)
- Ni coat of glossy acid bath 5 – 10 µm (glossy nickel plating)
- Cr coat of glossy decorative bath 0,3 – 1 µm (chrome plating)
Respectively other combinations of above stated coats corresponding to electrolytically excluded coats NICKEL – CHROME and COPPER – NICKEL – CHROME according to ČSN EN 12540.
Maximal dimensions of electroplated parts: 2000 x 1000 x 250 mm.
Decorative chrome plating and consequent anaphoretic varnishing
Anaphoretic application of varnish – perfect decorative treatment and anti-corrosion protection of
The technology of decorative processing of parts surfaces uses galvanic glossy nickel plating and consequent application of anaphoretic colourless water-soluble varnish ALBRIFIN S, that can be coloured in such a way so as to reach appearance of brass (Ms), gold (Au), copper (Cu), black nickel (Ni) or some other transparent colour.
Brass plated fittings:
The following layers are then consequently applied to metal surface within technological process in one automatic line:
- basic metal – raw or mechanically treated (by grinding, blasting, polishing – depending on level of gloss required for the final appearance)
- pre-nickel plating – layer of 3 up to 10 microns
- glossy copper plating (acid) – layer of 14 up to 18 microns
- decorative nickel plating – layer of 4 up to 6 microns
- anaphoretic varnishing– layer of 6 up to 10 microns – colouring to required tint
- varnins burning at 150 up to 160 °C for the period of 30 minutes
The advantages of the technology are as follows
- very good corrosion resistance of the galvanic base layer and decorative varnish
- excellent adhesion in cross hatch test according to ISO 2409 test
- keeping the tint in case of more component of one set
- very good resistance to sweat, cosmetics and chemicals (detergents, petrol, acetone, etc.)
- excellent resistance to abrasion – resistance to boiling water
- there are not developed drops and curtains
- the products are not touched by a human hand in the course of the whole processing – it is not necessary to re-hang parts
- more perfect base (guaranteeing better adhesion) for possible additional (partial) re-spraying with synthetic or stove enamels
Stainless steel materials with surface treatment finished by balotine
Balotine, which means glass beads, is an inert and chemically invariant material. It is an environment – friendly material, safe from the toxicological point of view. It is usually used for final treatment of material surface. It is also used in the field of fine blasting and it can also be used for stainless steel parts.
Stainless Steel Materials with Staining Surface Treatment
Stainless steel characteristics are set by the steel composition, mainly by chrome contents. It is protected with a film of chromium oxide developed due to influence of atmospheric oxygen. In this way, the stainless steel does not need further protective coating against corrosion.
In the course of standard production processes like cutting, bending. etc., the protective film is breached. Then, welding causes colour change and corrosion in the weld location, mainly in wet environment with presence of chlorides. Staining removes oxidation products from the surface of stainless steel, as well as marking of manufacturers and any other pollution. The resulting surface is unified, with silver grey colour. .
Staining by Immersion
It is performed by staining in the mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid after previous rough degreasing. Then follows the water rinsing up to neutral reaction to acids.
Stainless Steel Materials with Polishing Surface Treatment
Stainless Steel Materials with Grinding Surface Treatment
Fine ground surface is reached by gradual grinding of the material and reduction of ground grain. The surface may then be stained or possibly polished into mirror shine.
Stainless Steel Materials with Polishing Surface Treatment and Consequent Nitration
The ultra-thin layer of titanium nitride created by PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) technology is characterised by hardness, resistance to abrasion, chemical resistance and health friendliness. Thanks to its shine and colour of the surface it is possible to "gold, silver" surfaces of metals, glass, ceramics and some plastics. Thanks to its characteristics, it is also used mainly for coating of machining tools - in this way, their service life is significantly extended, it is also used in medicine e.g. for artificial joints and in electrotechnics.
Principle
A thin layer (approximately 3 - 5 microns) of titanium nitride is applied using plasma and reactive gas to pre-treated and perfectly clean and degreased surface of goods in vacuum chamber.
What do we offer
Using our equipment, we are able to coat decorative layers of titanium and titanium nitride in the following colour tints: titanium silver, brass, gold, copper up to metal violet. We also prepare an offer for coating with a layer of zirconium and zirconium nitride, with its characteristics even surpassing the already offered titanium nitride.
It is even harder, more resistant and the golden tint is hard to distinguish from genuine gold. The size of the equipment allows layers to be put on surfaces with dimensions up to 1700mm x 800mm.
- Prospekt k titanování [pdf; 1,9 MB]
