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Powder Coaters Manual 1/98 I/15

Rotate stored powder so that it is not kept in storage for extendedperiods of time. First in, first out.

Avoid leaving containers of powder open on the shop floor wherethe powder can easily pick up moisture and dirt.

Precondition the powder before spraying by fluidizing it for afew minutes prior to application.

Like many of the recommendations in this book, these precautionsare not absolutely necessary to the application of powder. However,following them will produce the best possible results with the least

possible labor. Proper storage and a little patience to achieve correctfluidization will help contribute to consistent results.

6 Powder Particle Size

The size of the powder particle can have an influence on the behaviorof the material in the delivery system, the charging system and thefinal film characteristics. The original grind size is determined by themanufacturer to provide certain deposition and appearance charac-teristics. The powder coater must understand the role of particle sizein the electrostatic process and maintain a consistent blend when re-claimed powder is used.

The consistency of powder flow from the gun begins in the feed hop-per. Steady, uniform fluidization is required to achieve a consistentflow through the pumps and out of the gun. As the concentration offine particles increases the powder coating material will begin to clumptogether and resist fluidization. Finer particles fill the voids betweenthe larger particles and force the operator to use higher air pressure.

The air entering the fluidized bed will follow the path of least resist-ance and higher pressure will often cause geysering. The surface of

the fluidized powder is inconsistent with large bubbles and dead spots.This condition will cause the air to surge and deliver inconsistentamounts of powder to the pick-up tube. If the condition is not toosevere the operator may continue to spray but the parts will haveuneven film thickness and possibly surface blemishes. If the conditionis severe the gun will spit a large volume of powder onto the surfaceand leave a blotchy mound of powder.

Powder Particle Size

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Powder Coaters Manual 1/98I/16

Higher delivery pressures may also be needed to move the compactedpowder through the hose. This higher pressure will cause excessiveimpact fusion at contact points throughout the delivery system, par-ticularly in bends of the hose or around the deflector tip. Higher deliv-ery pressures will also result in higher velocity, which can reduce pow-der transfer efficiency. Higher pressure will also cause more grindingaction as the powder travels through the system, breaking down thepowder and adding still more fines.

Finer particles have more surface area per given weight than largerparticles so they tend to pick up more moisture. The higher moisturecontent contributes to clumping.There are physical and chemical prop-erties of powder materials that can affect the transfer efficiency. If apowder seems to perform below the level of the other powders run onthe same line the powder supplier should be consulted to see if it canbe altered so that it will charge more efficiently.

The range and concentration of particle size can also affect transferefficiency. Smaller particles carry more charge per unit weight andbecome self limiting at thinner films. Since back-ionization occurs atthe self limiting point, a higher concentration of fine particles willcontribute to surface disruptions at thinner films.

Smaller particles also have less mass and are more likely to be influ-enced by the air flows and weaker electrostatic lines. Larger particlesare more likely to have straight line motion and be affected by strongelectrostatic force lines or gravity. This particle size related behaviorhas an impact on electrostatic wrap and penetration of faraday cageareas.

The electrostatic field lines generated from the corona gun will tend toconcentrate on the external edges and bend around to the back of thepart. Since the finer particles tend to be more influenced by the weakerfield lines that connect to the back of the part they will contributemore to wrap.

The fines also deposit on the edges more readily and become self-limiting at thinner films, making it more difficult to penetrate Faradayareas when there is a high concentration of finer particles. Largerparticles, since they are slower to self limit and have truer straight linemotion, are more successful in penetrating inside corners.


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Particle Size Distribution, Cartridge Hopper

Microns

Virgin

Reclaim

6

8

10

12

14

210

D

ifferentialVolume%

4

2

0

125 75 45 25 15 10 5 3 2 1


When film builds are drifting lower and penetration is be-coming more difficult the powder particle size blend mayhave too many fines.

Smaller powder particles are easily influenced by air flows in the appli-cation area and more likely to drift away from containment. Sinceuncontained powder is a dirt source the finer particles can be a con-tributor to dirt rejects.

Because of the ability to collect over-spray for reuse, some operatorsare not overly concerned about first pass transfer efficiency. How-

ever, recycling of powder has a negative impact on the material. Italters the classification of the particle size, it degrades application per-formance, contamination may be added to the reclaimed material andsome over-spray will need to be scrapped. Good practices in applica-tion must be designed to provide high first pass transfer efficiency toreduce over-spray.

Reclaimed powder is mixed with virgin powder in a consistent volumefor consistent performance. It is important to maintain a consistentratio of virgin to reclaim powder for the best possible transfer effi-

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Powder Coaters Manual 1/98I/18

ciency. Experience with a given powder will help to determine whatthe ratio should be. A sensible starting point is 50/ 50. If the deposi-tion is good then 50/ 50 is a good ratio of virgin to reclaim. If thedeposition is worse than the virgin material it may be necessary toreduce the volume of reclaim in the blend.

Film characteristics, such as thickness and smoothness, are also af-fected by the grind size. In general, an overall coarser blend will builda thicker film and a finer grind will provide a thinner film.

Film smoothness is partly dependent on an even distribution of vari-

ous sized powder particles. Larger particles take longer to melt andthey may not completely level out during the cure cycle. If a grind istoo coarse it may cause excessive texture called orange peel. An ex-cess of fines will cause the film to reach the self limiting point fasterand start back ionization, resulting in electrostatic orange peel.

Particle Size Measurement

Because of the impact that particle size has on the coating process itis important to be able to accurately measure the grind size for speci-


Particle Size Distribution, Virgin vs. Cyclone Recovered Powder

Microns

Virgin

Reclaim

6

8

10

12

14

210

DifferentialVolume%

4

2

0

125 75 45 25 15 10 5 3 2 1

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fication of a material and for adjustments to the coating operation.Many coaters do not have this capability and must rely on the coatingsupplier to perform the test for them. Understanding the measuringprocess and the how the data is organized and analyzed can help acoater develop process control measures.

The grinding operation in powder manufacturing produces particlesof varying size and shape. This collection of particles is called theparticle size distribution. A sample of the virgin material is used todetermine the particle size distribution as received.

Collection of the sample should consider the natural separation thatcan take place in the container. Coarser particles tend to migrate tothe top while the finer particles settle at the bottom. In order for thesample to be a true representation of the bulk material it should betaken from a level somewhere in the center of the container. Thescoop that is used for the sample should be metal rather than plasticto help avoid frictional charging and the relative humidity should bebetween 40 to 60%. These measures will help provide a truly repre-sentative sample.

In order to compare the reclaimed powder to the virgin material or a

mix of the two to the virgin material, a sample is compared to theoriginal bulk powder as received. The results are used to construct agraph, a table or a statistical summary for comparison.

There are several methods by which particle size distribution can bemeasured. Different methods measure different attributes so it is diffi-cult to compare results from two different methods. Optical methodsthat are used may not always be completely accurate but they areuseful for comparing relative particle size differences.

Summary

It is important to understand the influence of powder particle size onthe application of the coating. The particle size from the manufac-turer will be altered by the application process and these changesmust be managed to provide consistent results. Effective communica-tion of particle size data can help define the best powder and provideinformation for process control.

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