Measuring Up the Product: Part 2

Need to evaluate powder coatings offered by different manufacturers? Some products have different prices but appear to be identical. Which is the better value, which should you buy, and which product best suits your particular need? The following is information on evaluating powder coatings to help answer the above questions. 

In order to assess powder coatings, you first need to determine the minimum thickness required to meet your needs. The basic requirement will be to figure out at what thickness does the product you are evaluating hide the underlying surface. The coating thickness of the same product may vary depending on the substrate needing coverage.  Using this method, it may be easy to compare products.  If one powder has a much higher specific gravity than another, but hides at about the same thickness, then the lower specific gravity product will provide more square feet per pound when applied at the same film thickness and thus provide a better cost per square foot. 

If the products you are assessing are close, it may be necessary to spray out a test run using both products.  The test run must be long enough to accurately figure out how many square feet of surface area are covered per pound of powder.  Careful monitoring of thickness and square footage is essential for accurate results during the product test.  Following the trial run, it should be easy to compare the products, determining which provides the best gain by calculating the cost per square foot at the thickness required. 

Acquiring an accurate measure of the value of coatings plays an important role in cost control.  In addition, it is essential to control the powder coating operation to avoid putting on more powder than necessary.  It will do little good to buy a high-value powder if the application is chaotic and too much powder is being applied to the parts.  So your system efficiency will be an important part of your usage factor. Another important decision is whether you will be spraying to waste or reclaiming this product.  All these factors play a role in determining your true cost.

For more information from TCI Powder Coatings on powder coating evaluation, please refer to TCI’s Troubleshooting Guide or click here to contact us today to speak with our experienced team about how we can help you with your powder coating needs.