Nylon, made from the castor plant, is a high quality product that is environmentally sound and resilient. It enables a superb finish and offers resistance to chemicals and oils. Often, nylon powder coating is used in the water and food industries as well as in public transportation vehicles and manufacturing applications. Specific products receiving this type of coating include seats, handles, and grab rails.
At Secoa Technology, we use nylon within powder coating as a high performing technical polymer. This type of coating is highly beneficial due to its excellent thermal, mechanical, chemical, and physical properties. It is applied often in thickness ranges of 0.005 to 0.050 inches.
Types of Nylon Powder
Thermoplastic and thermoset are to major types of nylon powder. In the application process of thermoplastic nylon powder, the object is heated beyond the melting point of the nylon coating. Then, the powder is applied to the surface. The coating fuses instantly to the surface. As the most common type of nylon powder coating, it is the most chemically resistant and non-corrosive.
In thermosets are contained catalysts that have considerable heat sensitivity. When thermoset powder coating is applied to an object surface, it starts to melt as the temperature hits 250 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. The chemical transformation in the nylon coating occurs when the temperature reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This transformation produces a flexible plastic coating that is exceptionally strong.
Applying Nylon Powder Coating
In this coating can be applied in two ways. One way is through an electrostatic spray. This method utilizes a spray gun that electrostatically charges the ions within the plastic powder. The powder is then dispersed at room temperature and subsequently heated. The other involves a fluidized bed technique in which a gas is passed through a pool of nylon powder coat previously pulverized into a fine powder. The process turns it into a fluid. The object to be coated with the nylon powder is heated to a particular temperature and then immersed into the fluidized powder, covering the object with the coating.
Either of these methods may be used to create an abrasion and impact resistant coating that possesses a low coefficient of friction and considerable strength.
