powder coating plastic

[ThEDrEaMEnDeR]

i was looking at powder coating supplies today and the though of powder coating interior panels and such pops into my head. would there be any issues with this? if it can be done what prep work is involved?
thanks in advanced

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

You can't powdercoat something that is not metal. If you want to do something with your interior panels you would have to just stick with painting them.

 

[ThEDrEaMEnDeR]

It is only in the past few years that several companies have developed conductive plastic powders. Basically, a variety of conductive fillers are added to the plastic resin to form compounds with conductive properties. For more details on the development of conductive plastics, go to:



Pearson - Science News

 

[SexyDSM95]

You can't powdercoat something that is not metal. If you want to do something with your interior panels you would have to just stick with painting them.

You most absolutely can.

Non-Metal Products
While powder coating started as an alternative to finishing metal products only, the development of powder that can be cured at lower temperatures has allowed powder coating to expand to non-metal surfaces such as ceramics and some wood and plastic applications. Powder coating on wood is growing by leaps and bounds. Manufacturers of home-office furniture, kitchen cabinets, children's furniture, and outdoor grill tables are discovering that powder coating makes these "hard use" products retain their new look much longer

Liquid Powder Coats

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

WOW, I didn't realize that there were any powdercoating products that could do that. Sorry for the bad information. Thank you for educating me on that one.

 

[ThEDrEaMEnDeR]

not a problem good sir i was unaware until today also we learn something new every day

 

[ramsack]

liquid powdercoat to me is an oxymoron and i would just consider it paint that you bake. the powder sticks to metal because it is electrified. you can't do that to wood or any other non-conductive material. and how would this ever happen to these pieces if they need baking? they would melt or burn.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

not a problem good sir i was unaware until today also we learn something new every day

Indeed we do.

 

[greengoblin]

You can coat "some" plastics. Again some. ABS plastic is something most cannot coat and that is what most of your interior is. They are expanding low temp and UV cured powders. Anyone can do low temp stuff but it still cures at around 250 degrees. At least the colors I have seen. The colors are also limited. Again this is from my experience. Uv curing is a new technology and very few can do it.

Kevin

 

[ramsack]

plastic vs. metal though, metal dents where most platics tend to break or chip, so it still makes coating something like plastic pointless unless it's gonna be a light duty piece. if i was wanting to change something with the interior i would just make a new one.

 

[SexyDSM95]

liquid powdercoat to me is an oxymoron and i would just consider it paint that you bake. the powder sticks to metal because it is electrified. you can't do that to wood or any other non-conductive material. and how would this ever happen to these pieces if they need baking? they would melt or burn.

Huh? Liquid Power Coat is a company not a process.

 

[ramsack]

thanks for the clarification.

i just don't understand how you would get powder to stick to things that can't conduct electricity. although these materials tend to conduct static a bit.

 

[mitsu_matt]

Here is some info on it from my magazine... this process is new but it will be used more and more in the future.

MATERIALS & JOINING - Appliance Design

 

[ThEDrEaMEnDeR]

thanks for the info guys. but alas this looks like something that i couldn't do at home and if i could i think it would be hard to find the supplies

 

[300dollarGSX]

thanks for the clarification.

i just don't understand how you would get powder to stick to things that can't conduct electricity. although these materials tend to conduct static a bit.

The regular style powder coat (that actually uses powder) uses a process similar to static electricity, not flowing electricity, to get the powder to stick to a surface. Think more along the lines of polyester clothes and that wonderful "static cling." Some plastics are very prone to collecting electrons from things that are readily giving them away, which gives them a negative charge. Then, if something positively charged comes along (like, say, a powder from a gun that strips electrons or sends powder through a charged field), it clings to the surface. Plastic cling wrap would be another example of how it should work. I'm guessing the curing temp would be much lower for this type of coating, though. Now, after typing all that, I've never coated anything other than metals, but that is the basic science behind powder coating.

 

[Lavery]

I would think that plastic pieces would flex easily and cause the paint to separate. It doesnt seem like it would be as durable as powder coating a metal. Just saying.

 

[300dollarGSX]

Remember, most coil springs and leaf springs are powder coated when you buy them now. They flex quite a bit and the powder holds up well.

 

[greengoblin]

Powder coating is quit flexible.