Powder coating clinic

The views of Mr. Nick Liberto of Powder Coating Consultants, Div. of Ninan, Bridgeport, CT, on the quality and application of powder coating on industrial products, are presented. According to Mr. Liberto, powder coatings provide color selection, durability, custom look and feel that are associated with outdoor furniture that electrocoating cannot provide. Mr. Liberto suggests that the key of obtaining the maximum performance from high-quality and corrosion resistance materials is proper pretreatment of the surface before powder coating. The pretreatment method consists of several steps such as cleaning of the surface using alkaline solution, applying zinc phosphates to the surface and then applying a good sealer to finish the surface.