What is Powder Coated Aluminum?

Close up of a powder coated window

What is powder coated aluminum?

  1. What Is Powder Coating?
  2. Benefits of Powder Coating

One of the most practical materials in the metal fabrication industry is the aluminum alloy. It’s lightweight, durable, corrosion-resistant, and also has versatile uses in other applications, such as aluminum windows in the Philippines. Despite this, the alloy might still be vulnerable to environmental hazards, which is why there is a need for powder coated aluminum — a more visually appealing and more structurally stable finished product. Continue reading to learn more.

What is Powder Coating?

While different metals and alloys like aluminium are oftentimes used in various applications on their own, this is not always the case. Instead the aluminum material is subjected to another secondary process called coating.

There are several kinds of coating methods for aluminum — anodizing, sublimation, liquid paint coating — but powder coating is the most popular and most ideal, especially for aluminum extruded products.

Aluminum powder coating works similarly to spray paint, except the difference lies in the material used. It’s a surface finish that’s usually applied to different types of aluminum materials in order to produce colorful styles and finishes for decorative purposes. 

For more practical reasons, powder coating is done in order to slow down the wear and tear of the aluminum material, and ensure that its properties remain intact even after several years.

Powder coating is applied through a method called electrostatic spray deposition. A powder spray tool is used to precipitate the particles of the coating onto the aluminum. The coating material is usually made from a combination of various plastic polymers like acrylic, epoxy, polyurethane, and the like. These ingredients are often combined with other pigments, flow modifiers, curing agents, and additives to ensure that the coating is evenly applied on the aluminum’s surface. 

Benefits of Powder Coating

An office with powder coated windows

Powder coating has a number of benefits. As you’ve learned, it gives manufacturers and consumers the flexibility to come up with different styles for aluminum extrusions. After all, the basic shiny finish of these products may not really be suitable for everyone’s liking. Instead, a more colorful and vibrant set of aluminum pieces might be more ideal. 

Aside from the design, powder coating provides aluminum with excellent corrosion-resistant capabilities and a better durability. The process is also considerably more environmentally-friendly compared to its counterparts, while also still being cost-efficient and economical. 

Versatile Design

Let’s say you have an aluminum sliding window — it already looks sleek and stylish. But what if you wanted to change its color? With powder coating, it’s certainly possible to come up with a range of versatile finishes and designs. 

The ingredients for powder coating can include different pigmentations and other additives. For example, you could stick with the classic shiny finishes of aluminum, or you could also branch out to other styles, like matte or satin. 

Better Durability

When you’re using any kind of aluminum material for outdoor areas, you need to make sure that it won’t be prone to any physical or structural damage. As you know, external elements like rainwater, debris, ultraviolet rays, or soil, can affect the appearance of your aluminum materials, if they’re not properly protected.

Knowing this, powder coating can protect the aluminum from physical hazards in the environment. This gives it a better durability and retains its corrosion-resistant qualities. 

Environmentally-Friendly

Powder coating is more environmentally-friendly compared to other coating techniques because it emits little-to-no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) into the surroundings. These emissions can be harmful to the environment because they can pollute the air and can potentially cause smog due to the chemical reactions that can cause ozone erosion. 

Whether powder coating is conducted inside a facility or outdoors, it’s safe because it does not release any harmful pollutants, thus making its effects on the environment negligible. There are also many cases wherein the powder coating material can be recycled after the appropriate decontamination process has been done. 

Corrosion-Resistant

While aluminum doesn’t rust because of its chemical composition, it is prone to corrosion. You may oftentimes find brown spots or discolored areas on aluminum products which is largely due to the oxidation process.

Powder coating is applied to the material to make sure that it provides a corrosion-resistant layer. This is a useful technique, especially in cases wherein the aluminum might be near other objects and metals like brass that may cause a chemical reaction between the two different materials. 

Economical

The powder coating technique does not really require any other secondary processes and materials making it an economical choice for both the end-user and the manufacturer. 

You’ve learned that the process is fairly easy to conduct and isn’t really as complex compared to painting, which may take a significant level of manual labor. Furthermore, the cost of producing the material is relatively low, allowing for better savings and a reduced financial burden on the consumer.

Key Takeaway

Powder coated aluminum is simply an aluminum material that has been applied with a coating material made from various resins and polymers. This is a technique that provides many kinds of aluminum products and extrusions with better design, durability, and corrosion-resistance. Compared to other techniques like paint coating, powder coating is a more eco-friendly option as well.

AMC Aluminum is the leading provider of powder coating services in the Philippines. If you need any aluminum product or extrusion to be coated with this material, get in touch with us here and let us know how we can help you out. 

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