By John Park-Davies, managing director, Vertik-Al
This year’s FIT Show was fascinating. I attended all three days. Our group stand was manned by me and a rotation of 14 colleagues with skills and knowledge from across all our companies.
As Allumette Group, we were there promoting our powder coating brand, Vertik-Al, and demonstrating products from our louvre fabrication business, Ikon Aluminium Systems.
We’re not first time FIT Show exhibitors and we have enjoyed successful shows previously, but this event felt different. Aluminium products were particularly noticeable, it was everywhere. You had to look hard to catch a glimpse of PVC. This year, I believe the FIT Show belonged to the aluminium suppliers.
Aluminium aware
As an applicator of powder coatings for architectural aluminium, we are more than aware of the increasing appreciation and interest in aluminium products, but we understand that not everyone is as well-informed. This became obvious with each passing day of the three-day event.
I lost count of the number of times people stopped to read our ‘what is powder coating’ graphic on the Vertik-Al stand. Now, ordinarily, I’d agree with my marketing agency and say that people only ever read things briefly on an exhibition stand, but not this year.
People were taking some quality time to digest the data, understand the process and recognise the opportunity, before engaging with us. A number of people openly admitted that they didn’t understand the powder coating process but were keen to learn more.
While we work hard to share and raise awareness of architectural aluminium coatings in this arena, I can understand why there may be a disconnect. There are many fabricators and installers out there who have rarely encountered aluminium products, and so why would they know about the nuances of finishing processes.
For me, this year’s FIT Show highlighted not just the enormous potential for the aluminium industry and its associated partners, but also the opportunity to better inform the supply chain of the benefits of aluminium products – products which their customers are demanding!
So, let’s start our powder coating journey together and establish the basics…
What is powder coating?
Powder coating is, as the name suggests, a type of coating that is applied as a solid powder rather than the liquid of more conventional coatings. The omission of any liquid solvents and their ability to be infinitely recycled during the application process results in an exceptionally eco-friendly final coating with no volatile organic compound issues and minimal waste when compared to liquid coatings.
The powder coated film is very tough and resilient, and dependant on the resin chemistry utilised, can offer coatings with exceptional chemical resistance, durability and a spectrum of aesthetically pleasing colours and surface finishes.
How does it work?
Powder coatings are manufactured from a mixture of resins, hardeners, pigments and additives that are extruded together and then ground into a fine powder. They are normally factory applied to metal substrates (non-heat sensitive) via an electrostatic application method.
It’s a three stage process:
- Metal components must be suitably cleaned prior to coating to ensure the removal of dust, oxides and grease. Depending on the final application further surface treatment may be required to improve, for example, corrosion resistance and mechanical adhesion of the powder paint.
- The powder is fluidised in air and passes through a corona discharge, the components to be coated are earthed so that the charged powder particles are attracted and electrostatically adhere to the components surface.
- The component is then placed in a cure oven. During the cure process the powder paint melts to form a continuous liquid film. Upon continued heating a chemical reaction occurs between the resin and curing agents that results in a hard, thermoset coating.
Quality of finish
Consistency and quality of finish are essential for the coating to have impact. Look for companies that are committed to quality and carry relevant and respected certification such as BSI approval, the Qualicoat quality label and GSB International licence. All require stringent controls, checks and often, random audits, giving peace of mind and reassurance across the supply chain.
So, whether you are a systems house, fabricator, or installer, now is the time to brush up on your knowledge of aluminium know-how. Especially given its extraordinary environmental benefits.
Commercial and consumer demand is only going one way – up, as we all seek to build better, more energy efficient and future-proof houses and buildings.
