Strategies & Analysis
by Phil Phillips, PhD
Contributing Editor
phillips@chemarkconsulting.net
CHEMARK Interviews Chris Reding, manager, Business Development, DSM Powder
Coating Resins, Inc.
CHEMARK: Why should we be interested in powder coating for heat-sensitive substrates?
Reding: The operational, environmental
and performance benefits of powder simply make it a better choice than incumbent
coating technologies for many applications. By lowering operational costs, increasing end-product value and providing
a mechanism for meaningful differentiation, powder is a competitive advantage.
CHEMARK: Given those advantages,
and despite significant investments
made, powder hasn’t achieved much in
the way of commercial success beyond
metal substrates. To what do you attribute the slow progress?
Reding: Technology gaps have taken
some time to work through. From the
first efforts in the early 1990s until only a
few years ago, the technologies that were
available to choose from made transitioning to powder an “iffy” proposition that
came with a fair degree of uncertainty
about the results that doing so would
yield. By the mid-2000s, the technologies
had improved to a point that powder was
a more practicable option, and promising
opportunities were developing – only to
be derailed when domestic manufacturing took a nose-dive. With the slow pace
of the recovery since then, most manufacturers have been understandably cautious about embracing new technologies.
The technology has advanced to such a
degree that, for those who have taken a
close look at the possibilities, converting
to powder coatings is no longer an iffy
proposition. Rather, as those who have
made the conversion in recent years will
attest, converting to powder coating for
heat-sensitive substrates is steadily devel-
oping into a competitive necessity.
CHEMARK: Tell us more about the the
“technology gaps” that you referenced.
Reding: Essentially, we had to advance
the technologies to a point that the pros
of conversion outweighed the cons.
In terms of the formulated powder,
the hurdles included lowering the cure
temperature and curing faster, with an
approach that was suitable for complex
parts (so that parts could be cured without a lamp requiring line-of-sight to the
substrate). Storage stability also had to be
addressed. Aesthetic properties had to be
improved, to provide for smoothness and
gloss versatility to be truly competitive
with the looks achieved by incumbent
technologies. Finally, we needed a powder coating that could be used with the
substrates that manufacturers are already
coating. With the introduction just a few
years ago of a binder system based on unsaturated polyester (imparting flexibility)
+ urethane (durability), we finally have a
powder coating technology with the ability to close those gaps.
Solving the formulary puzzle wasn’t
enough. The electrostatic variables associated with non-metal substrates required
a new approach. The development of
regulated counter electrodes provided the
solution. Finally, we needed an efficient
and reliable way to cure powder on heat-sensitive substrates, which requires precision control to direct sufficient heat to
the powder while minimizing the heat absorbed by the substrate. The answer came
in the form of catalytic infrared curing.
CHEMARK: What is it going to take
for powder to move beyond its current, modest position on non-metal
applications?
Reding: We already see very good
momentum in Europe, which began with
adoption by leading furniture and cabinet
manufacturers. In North America manu-
facturers have been more conservative.
That said, the wheels are in motion. I’m
very confident that there will be a nice
success story for me to tell you about by
the close of next year.
CHEMARK: Beyond having closed the
technology gaps, what are the essentials
to build on the success?
Reding: Manufacturers need assurance
that the investment will yield the benefits
that we promise; and, as a raw materials
supplier, we can’t make the case without
help. We are working in a collaboration
with companies representing every downstream element of our value-chain.
CHEMARK: What else should we
know?
Reding: When we promote the advantag-
es of powder coatings, the focus is usually
to convey how the technology allows a
manufacturer to more efficiently pro-
duce a finish that will look and perform
like their existing finish; in a way that is
friendlier to the environment. Of cousrse,
cost and environmental advantages are
essential; but there is more to the story.
Specifically, those of us who have
been in powder coatings for the long
haul sometimes take for granted another
important element of the value proposi-
tion – the opportunity to differentiate
products with powder coatings. It has
the ability to look very different (ham-
mer tones, veins, speckles, etc.). Further,
fast and efficient color change without
the addition of floor space is now a
reality due to advancements made by
application and recovery equipment sup-
pliers. To the point, with the strengthen-
ing trend towards “mass-customization”
in view, powder can provide both opera-
tional solutions and design options that
are simply not possible with the incum-
bent coating technologies. CW
Powder Coatings for Heat-Sensitive Substrates
