Which type of lacquer to use? (Topic: 14021)

Solvent based lacquers were the only alternative up to 1970ñ72. The development of powder coatings made it possible to change, and the environmental problem caused by solvents was in the early beginning of being solved. Almost all new plants for lacquering of profiles now choose powder coating.

The main reasons for that are the following:

1. Environmental consideration

2. Better degree of utilisation than a solvent based lacquer

3. Better quality of the coating than a solvent based lacquer

Environmental consideration

The solvent content in a powder lacquer is zero, and the production and use of this type of lacquer is environmentally friendly.

High degree of utilisation

During the powder coating almost all the powder particles which have not been attracted to the profile surface, will be collected and transported back to the powder container. The degree of utilisation of a powder coating is approximately 98%. The degree of utilisation of a wet paint is much lower due to the solvent content which will evaporate and due to no possibility of a recycling system for the "overspray". A utilisation degree of 60% is very good (electrostatic spraying).

High quality of the coating

A powder coating with the thickness of 40 µm will have a better quality than a coating of a wet paint of the same thickness. The reason for that is no solvent could be entrapped during the curing step, and a powder coating will have less porosity than a liquid lacquer.