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JUNE 2014 — pfonline.com
POWDER COATINGS
Powder Formulation 101
The most important characteristics include what the
industry refers to as the "Five Es:" efficiency, economy,
energy-saving, environmentally friendly and excellence
of finish.
pfonline.com/articles/powder-formulation-101
TGIC-free powder coatings based on European regula-
tions. The new owner required that the North American
facility convert all its coatings to TGIC-free for a consis-
tent global product. When the conversion was made, the
North American facility immediately recognized a signifi-
cant improvement in first-pass transfer efficiency. This
mandate provided added savings: fewer touch-ups were
required, less powder was used, and a smaller amount
of powder entered the facility's reclaim system, reducing
both the potential for powder breaking down and other
reclaim system issues.
Is it Right for You?
TGIC powder coatings remain a major player in exterior
powder coatings in North America, but TGIC-free coating tech-
nologies offer an attractive alternative with enhanced perfor-
mance properties. And as the potential for regulation affecting
the use of TGIC powder coatings continue to be discussed,
finishers owe it to themselves to learn about the alternatives
well before any new directives are in place.
Is TGIC-free technology right for your application today?
Often, the choice comes down to whether a finisher is multi-
national. TGIC-free powder coatings provide a true global
platform. For finishers that operate facilities in countries where
TGIC is already regulated, the choice to use TGIC-free powder
coatings may be made globally for the sake of product consis-
tency and to simplify purchasing, storage and handling.
And certainly, coatings manufacturers that offer technical
support to customers should be consulted to help finishers
understand the options available and to assist in making the
choice between technologies. It goes beyond recognizing the
complexities of the parts that need to be coated and where
those parts will be used. The choice also involves reviewing
a finisher's current coating line capabilities and equipment,
production schedule requirements and—if important—its
customer's specification process.
Bob Cregg is senior marketing director for building products
at Sherwin-Williams. For more information, please visit oem.
sherwin-williams.com. Photos courtesy of Sherwin-Williams.
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Toll Free 855.661.0336
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