After finishing your aluminum extrusion, the next phase is deciding the finishing. There are a wide variety of options that you can choose from, so it's natural to decide on a finishing option that will complement your manufacturing procedure.

Some of the options available include: powder coating, anodizing, and painting are some of the available options. Each option comes with its own set of advantages. So, you might be asking yourself, which is the best option?

For this post, we are going to talk about powder coating aluminum extrusion. We will talk about how its works, its benefits as well as reasons to consider powder coating aluminum extrusion.

How the Powder Coating Process Works

In much simpler terms, powder coating is a quick process of spraying electrostatically charged paint (in powder form) onto your extrusions. In comparison to liquid paint, powder coating doesn’t necessarily need a solvent.

One of the key features that you should pay special attention to is the surface of every extrusion must be preheated before you can commence your finishing operation.

1. Pre-treatment of the aluminum surface

The pre-treatment process normally involves the removal of grease, dust, and other foreign particles. By doing so, technicians and designers ensure there is good adhesion and that the powder coat won't flake.

2. Application of Powder to the Extrusions

The technician sprays the powder through an electrostatic spray gun. The positive charge makes the powder bond with an electrically-grounded extrusion.

3. Heating aluminum components in the oven

The extrusions are inserted into a large oven, the extrusions are baked till they have a uniformly-melted coating.

The major benefits of powder coating aluminum extrusions

• It comes with a wide array of bright and beautiful color options.
• It's eco-friendly compared to liquid paint.
• The coating is mainly thick and bonds well with aluminum, thus it won’t chip or peel easily.

Why is the powder coating very environmentally friendly?

One of the key reasons why powder coating is mainly preferred compared to regular liquid paint is because it has no solvents or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). What this essentially means is it won't damage the environment while it's being sprayed.

In comparison to wet paint, the wastes from the powder coating aren’t hazardous. Overall, the powder coating process doesn't produce much waste as the powder can be collected and reused again.

What are the available color options?

When compared to anodizing, powder coating presents you with a wide variety of color selections. When using anodizing, you won't get some type of look or appearance in your aluminum.

With powder coating, you'll get a wide variety of beautiful hues, bright-colored and unique textures. When it comes to the look and appearance, the number of options that you will have are limitless.

When it comes to aluminum extrusion, powder coating should be number one on your list when it comes to finishing options. Not only are they economical but are also environmentally friendly.