Coating Supplies Australasia

^{Short History of Powder Coating}

In the early 1940 the 1^st form of powder coating was taking place. Manufacturers organic polymers were flame spraying the polymers onto metallic bases. The flame would melt the material as it was applied to the surface & creating a thermal coating.

Fast forward to the mid- 1950s, a German scientist named Dr Edwin Gemmer developed & patented fluidising practice that allowed the polymer powder to behave like a liquid. Edwin developed the fluidised bed process which remained popular until 1965.At that time, powder coating was most common for producing electrical insulation & corrosion resistance. The early powder coating techniques produced inconsistent coating thicknesses & the equipment was very specific & rarely available.

In the 1960 & 70sThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) & other government organisations in the USA passed regulations which restricted the number of solvents the manufacturing industry can use. Liquid paints & finishes release a significant amount of solvent, but powder coating process involve almost none!

A Dutch scientist, Dr Pieter de Lange, noticed the electrostatic process in France used by the manufacturer to spray his tires with talcum powder. De Lange adapted the electrostatic sprayer & created powdered material that can be positively charged for the application – this is the same process we use in modern powder coating