Canadian Finishing and Coatings Manufacturing: Nov/Dec 2022 - 23

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: HEAVY DUTY POWDER COATINGS
C
anada's earth moving and agricultural markets are
predicted to experience a robust growth over the
next five plus years, according to a Research and
Markets Report. And this uptick is being witnessed
around the world. The global demand for construction
machinery is forecast to grow by 4.1 per cent to USD $250
billion by 2025, while the global agricultural equipment
market-which accounted for USD $128 billion in 2021-is
predicted to be worth USD $234 billion, with a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 per cent from 2022-2030.
Agricultural and construction manufacturers have always
relied on high performance coatings to protect their equipment,
while it's literally being run into the ground, but they also want
their brands to maintain that shiny new gloss longer. Along with
durability, the coating must also protect the equipment from
UV damage and corrosion in harsh environments. And although
these sectors have been migrating away from liquid coatings
and towards powder for a few years now, the demand on the
powder coating industry to provide solutions for cleaning,
drying, coating and curing has skyrocketed. And to top it off,
customers also want colour change flexibility.
Each equipment manufacturer has their signature colours,
which typically are green, yellow, blue or red. And some parts of
the machinery may require a different grade of coating. The cab
of a combine harvester, for instance, is like a man-cave for some
of the operators and the gloss level has to be spot on, requiring
a grade one finish. But you might go with a grade six on the
rotating blades because you know they're going to be worked
hard.
Of course, the bigger the part, the bigger the coating
equipment needs to be. Jeff Hale, marketing manager for Gema,
calls this one of the most interesting evolutions the powder
coating industry has seen in some time. " This area has grown
quite a bit. Companies have developed powders that provide the
corrosion protection these industries have been seeking and
ways to address the cleaning and curing issues associated with
large products. And from an application equipment standpoint,
we've been developing technology that allows us to coat those
products automatically, reducing the manual touch up that may
have been previously required, " he says.
" The move from liquid to powder is happening in many
industries including heavy duty because of its green credentials.
But it's also more durable than liquid and has less colour fade
issues and a longer lifespan. And obviously the reclaim of the
powder back into the circulation is also saving you a lot of
money, " says Michael Clarke, powder business development
specialist for Sames. " As long as the part is cured properly and
there is a primer or undercoating, it will be a more durable
finish and you won't get the same sort of flaking, corrosion or
chips like you would with a liquid coat. "
One of the big issues that coating professionals are faced
with is laser cut metal edges. Laser cutting technology has
been widely adapted by fabricators due to its sheer speed and
precision, but the edge produced by the cut is sharp and often
difficult to coat. This is where the pretreatment of the material
becomes very important.
" There are a lot of different ways to pretreat. First you
would prepare the surface with a degreaser and add an antiNovember/December
2022
23
Agricultural and construction manufacturers have
always relied on high performance coatings to
protect their equipment, while it's literally being
run into the ground, but they also want their
brands to maintain that shiny new gloss longer.
rust agent on the surface prior to the application. Depending on
the lifespan of the product (or longevity of the powder coating)
you would need either a three stage or five stage pretreatment,
and the chemical companies would recommend an iron or zinc
phosphate, or whatever would be best for the environment the
machinery will be in, " says Clarke.
Circle-Prosco Inc. (CPI), which specialises in performance
chemicals and industrial coating products, offers a zirconiumbased
pretreatment that is an environmentally friendly
alternative that features enhanced corrosion resistance and
paint adhesion.
https://www.sames.com/canada/en/
Canadian Finishing and Coatings Manufacturing: Nov/Dec 2022

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