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AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

I am sure that some of you will recognize this quote from the BBC program Monty Pythons Flying Circus (circa 1970s) I was always a big Mon ty Pyshython fan Their English humor was particularly witty and sophisticated I especially liked the

one show they did a skit on how to be the Village Idiot It showed tha t no matter how absurd your profession may be one could take pride in doing it well That kind of describes the life of a consulshytant often we dont get much respect but solving difficult problems is a rewarding profession

You may be asking yourself Why is Nick using this as the title of this month s column Well it best explains the category of some questions that I get over time that are not reall y related to mainshystream powder coating Over the past few months when I get a question that does not fit the highly technical question and answer column format that we have established here for the last ten years I set it aside This issue I have decided to deal with all of them at one time I hope you the reading audience get a chuckle from the humor I use to answer these slightly off-the-wall requests for inshyformation Now bear with me while I get a little silly

ELECTRIC CHARGE DAMAGING GALVANIZED COATING Q Would the galvanized coating on a traditional chain link f ence be expected to be damaged beyond the obvishyous burn areas by an electrical charge from a 7200 volt primary electric line (30 seconds on and 30 seconds ~ RS

A What Wait let me adjust my TV set Nope it didn t help I have no idea wha t to say Did you get a wrong number this is the Powder Coating Clinic

My only hope is readers can help me out with an answer

POWDER COATING PERSPEX Q I am student at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth currently undergoing my fi nal major project where I am

44 OCTOBER 2006

designing and making a light from Perspex pieces I was wondering if it is possible to powder coat the pieces so color can be added Is this possible with Perspex or does this technique only work with metal B W

A Ok I have only one question for you-how did you get my e-mail address

vVhen did I loose control over my technical Q amp A column for manufacturers and end-users of powder coatings Oh well I always wanted to be a college professor

Ok this one took a little research Normally I am able to provide answers without any research but not this time Perspex is a product from Lushycite and is used in a variety of applications (ie signage etc) When visiting their web site I noshyticed this material is available in a wide range of colors So this brings my first question Couldnt you have just chosen the color you wanted in the first place

I also noticed on the Lucite web site that this plastic based material has a melt point of 110degC This makes powder coating this material problemshyatic since most thermoset powder coatings have melt points higher than this Unless of course this is the look you want-a melted coated piece of plastic

POWDER REMOVAL USING PAINT STRIPPER Q I was reading your page on powder removal and was wonder if a regular automotive paint strijJPer would do the job Thanhs S N

A Ok Now I sense a conspiracy I have definitely lost control of my column

Common automotive strippers are applied cold (ambient) and depend upon their chemical comshyposition to soften a coating for removal This is a problem since most powder coatings are highly chemical resistant This is why most applicators of powder coatings use hot chemical strippers thershymal oxidation (burn-off) or mechanical stripping methods (blasting sanding or grinding) to reshymove powder coatings

I highly doubt that you can find an over-theshycounter automotive paint stripper that can remove a powder coating But who knows maybe you can

SITTING ON THE FENCE Q I have a small fen ce (wire mesh) fa ctory in Israel I have been trying for a while to coat a garden f ence with PVC powder I built an oven and coat my product in three steps

1 Warming fence (so that the powder will melt on the f ence)

2

3 J

Th have

My to be of COl

coatil proce the p( in an

Ih unde the Pi

Th

A I ques der atorr wild thq

Th scrib part bed bed

bullbull bull

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2 Coating with PVC powder 3 Fence cooling This process is different then the Jour-steps process I

have read about in other article on the web site My problem is on step two I cant make the PVC layer

to be even There are parts oj the mesh with a thick layer oj coating and parts oj the mesh with a thin layer of coating I dont use a spray gun because its a different process Im looking Jor some mechanism that will make the powder to hover in the small room and cover the Jence in an equal layer

I have tried to put the powder in some chamber and under the chamber to put a vent The problem was that the powder didnt hover I hope you can help me

Thank you very much Jor reading my e-mail O S

A I put you in this special column of unusual questions because your question makes me wonshyder how you are applying a powder that is not atomized (hovering) My imagination is running wild with thoughts of a fan and shovel to disperse the powder onto the hot part as it passes by

The method of powder coating that you are deshyscribing has been around for almost as long as the part of the world you live in It is called fluidized bed powder coating This process uses a fluidized bed to atomize the powder coating A hot part is

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POWDER COATING CLINIC

immersed into the bed the coating is attracted to the part and melts on contact Cooling afterwards allows this process to produce a part that is not still tacky from melted thermoplastic powder The key component to this process besides the oven you already have is the fluidized bed Without one you cannot disperse the powder enough for even film thickness control

A fluidized bed is a chamber that has a plenum beneath a fluidized plate (membrane) A comshypressor or a high-pressure blower introduces air into the plenum below the fluidized plate This air passed through the plate and into the powder conshytained in the upper chamber which will atomize it into a fluidic condition Aggressive fluidization can create a cloud above the chamber Wire products like your fence can be passed through this cloud for even powder deposition The cloud must be controlled by an evacuation system to prevent the powder from going all over your plant This evacushyation system will use fabric bags or paper filters to separate the powder from the con tainment air prior to reintroducing this air back into the plant

These systems are avai lable from a variety of manufacturers I recommend that you purchase a complete system from someone who has the ex-

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perience in designing and building these systems you for your patience and we look forward to servshyinstead of building one yourself ing you in the future Good-bye

METALLIC POWDERS EPILOGUE Q Is it possible to powder coat using metallic powders If so what powder particle size is required Are there special set-ups for metallic powdeT I want to apply nickshyel and cobalt-base powders that would subsequently be ]used at around 2200degF J Z

A I am sorry but there is no one available to anshyswer your question right now Please call back anshyother time when there is someone here Thank

Just so that you dont think I am a total jerk I called the last questioner and gave him his answer on the telephone It just does not make sense to print this answer in the magazine

See you all next month when my silliness fit will be over and we can get back to the more typical questions on powder coating and my usual insightshyful answers I]]

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