Appearance Characteristics of Powder Coatings

Here is the appearance characteristics of powder coatings including many aspects such as color variety,chrome-like appearances metallics and so on.
Virtually Any Color or Gloss. Color variety is almost limitless these days, with many coating suppliers offering a pallet of off-the-shelf colors as well as custom color match services to better meet the needs of small-volume powder users.There are also tints which can add highlight color to a substrate or base coat, such as a brass look over polished aluminum.
Gloss is ranging from flat to high. Smooth, high gloss coatings can offer high distinctness of image creating an illusion of depth or wet looks. Surface defects or imperfections such as spot-welds, nicks and scratches on a variety of substrates can hided through Matte finishes.
Multi-color. Hammertones or veins give antique or distressed looks created by a black base with metallic pigments of gold, silver or copper contrasting against the black. This weathered look is popular in the furniture and display industries that demand a broad range of multi-color looks including granite, confetti, rusty and weathered appearances.
Clearcoats. Clear powders are often used as an external protective layer on many brass products such as door knobs, hinges, railings, lamps and even plumbing fixtures. There are also powders available that can substitute for chrome and brass plating in certain applications, even matching the high gloss of chrome. Clearcoat primers and powder clearcoats over automotive exterior basecoats are being used on various models of several automakers.
Photoluminescent. Photoluminescent powder coatings are able to absorb the ultraviolet, fluorescent, or incandescent light, and gradually re-emit the light. These are often available in blue, yellow, and green, and are used for road signs, hazard warnings, and markings on trucks, buses, and police cars.
Fluorescent appearance/Pearl-like. Powder coated finishes can now offer an icy or fluorescent appearance or the lustrous look of a pearl that may appear to change color depending on the angle of observation. Bicycles, garden tools, light fixtures, wheel rims and some glass products benefit from this look.
Chrome-like Appearances. As chrome plating becomes more heavily regulated and more expensive, the powder coating industry has tried to develop chrome replacement coatings, to replicate the chrome look for decorative chrome applications, such as wheels and automotive trim.
Metallics. Metallic coatings, using particles of aluminum, mica, copper, or brass, add sparkling highlights which can reproduce the appearance of the base metal and add sparkle to the look of the product. Metallic bonding can physically bond metal flakes to the basecoat powder, bringing greater depth to the look of the product. A variety of metallic finishes have been formulated for indoor and outdoor furniture, exercise equipment, lawn and garden tools, and other products, that can resemble the look of gold, chrome, or brass.
Textures. Textured coatings are often used to hide substrate irregularities which may show with a smooth finish, provide a non-slip surface, or hide fingerprints, while giving a distinctive feel to a product. Appearance varys from the look of fine sandpaper, a pebbly texture, or a rougher look resembling alligator skin.
Wrinkles. Wrinkle finishes are a special class of textures which offer styling variation and a consistent appearance. They exhibit excellent resistance to high wear and weatherability conditions seen with tools, exercise equipment, and shop displays.
Wood and Marble Effects. New finishing processes provide wood-grain and marble effects to aluminum, often used on indoor and outdoor architectural products such as furniture, windows, doors, vents, handles, and fixtures.
Dye Sublimation. The process of transferring three-dimensional images onto parts and products, known as dye sublimation, has been successfully applied to powder coated products. Now a variety of powder coated products made of steel, aluminum, glass, and medium density fiberboard can apply the high-resolution images, designs, and wood-grain looks. Bottles, multi-function knives, motobike frames, and writing utensils benefits from this vibrant new look.

So,we could see that the appearance characteristics of the powder coating are excellent with no doubt.

TO BE AN EAGLE OR TO BE A SNAIL

The goddess of sleep takes good care of me since I entered into the college, making up the neglect when I was in senior high. But last night, I suffered from insomnia again. I think it is not her fault, it is my fault. The question I asked myself thousands times-What kind of person I wanna to be?-occurred in my mind again. I can’t explain why I ask myself this boring question, I just can’t help it.

           The answer I got never same as the last time I got. I begin to wonder whether I know exactly what kind of person I wanna to be. Negative! May be next time I’ll get an incredible answer.

           There are always some people around us seems like eagles who have the wings of background, genetic gifts, good luck and so on helping them flying to the top of pyramid., but I never jealous of these person and never complain about my weakness, for they are not the person I wanna to be. I prefer to be a snail, there are evidences prove that snail also have already climbed to the top of pyramid. May be the analogy between snail and me is not suitable, but the fundamental personalities and spirits are resemblant, which is called continuous endeavoring. Michaelyu(俞敏洪)once said in his speech that “there is no fundamental difference between the landscape of eagles and snails when look from the top of the pyramid.”

           Back to my question, what kind of person I wanna to be ? I think I need not to know what exact job I’ll do, what exact life I’ll lead. What I should do is focusing on which category of person I belong to. There is an old saying“ some were born to great, some achieve greatness, and some just want to make it to payday ”. I think I have got the answer to my question.

           At last ,  I’d like to quote a famous saying ,said Jobs in his graduation of Stanford ,to finish my writing “keep looking ,never settle;  stay hungry，stay foolish!”

types of powder coating

    There are two types of powder coatings—thermoplastic and thermosetting. When we apply thermoplastic powder coating ,it melts and flows when heat is applied but continues to have the same chemical composition after it cools and solidifies. So thermoplastic powders have excellent chemical resistance, flexibility and toughness and other characterristics . They are applied mainly by the fluidized bed application technique, in which heated parts are dipped into a vat where the powder is fluidized by air and are used in many thick film applications.

    Thermosetting powder coatings are based on lower molecular weight solid resins which melt when exposed to heat. After they flow into a uniform thin layer, however, they chemically cross-link within themselves or with other reactive components to form a reaction materials of much higher molecular weight,which are heat stable and, unlike the thermoplastic products after curing, will not soften back to the liquid phase when heated. Thermosetting powders are derived from three generic types of resins:acrylic , polyester and epoxy. From these resin types, several coating systems are derived. Resins used in thermosetting powders can be ground into fine particles necessary for spray application and a thin film finish. Most of the advanced technology in recent years have been with thermosetting powders.