Introduction to Powder Coating and Painting
To protect your company’s essential industrial equipment, it’s crucial to use durable finishes. This is the case in industries ranging from automotive, aerospace, military, appliances and more.
This raises the question, “Which finish offers the most strength and durability — powder coating or spray painting?” It turns out that powder coating is generally stronger and more durable than spray painting. We’ll explain why.
Powder Coating vs. Spray Painting
You have two main options for covering the metal surfaces of industrial equipment — powder coating and spray painting. For people who are wondering, is powder coating stronger than paint, let’s compare the two processes to give you greater insight as you evaluate your options.
Powder coating
When considering powder coating vs. paint, powder coating is a dry application process during which a powder is electrostatically applied and cured with heat. The powder includes pigments (which you can customize to improve the aesthetics of the equipment), along with polymer resins, flow modifiers and leveling agents.
Under high temperatures inside a curing oven, the powder melts and creates a highly durable finish that’s sufficiently thick to protect the metal underneath when compared to applications using traditional paints.
Company owners and managers should know that powder coating offers greater resistance to scratches, chipping, corrosion and chemical exposure than spray painting.
Spray painting
In contrast, spray painting is a liquid application that requires multiple layers using primer and a topcoat. The liquid contains solvents, pigments and binders that hold these pigments together. Solvent helps you apply the paint more effectively. After the solvent finishes evaporating, the paint develops into a tough, durable outer layer. While you can use brushes to apply paint, industrial settings usually call for spray painting.
Efficiency is another factor when comparing the use of powder coating vs. paint. While spray painting tends to be a faster and more efficient way to apply coatings, it’s more prone to scratches, fading and wear over time. This makes it less durable than powder coating in industrial settings.
Why Powder Coating Is Stronger and More Durable
Why is powder coating stronger than paint? Powder coating is thicker and more uniform than liquid paint, contributing to its superior durability. It resists scratches, chipping and fading better than traditional paints. Because powder coating creates a resilient layer that protects against corrosion, rust and chemical agents, facility operators find it an ideal option for use in harsh environments.
Powder coating resists impacts better than standard spray paint, which makes it a better choice for machinery and equipment that endure rough handling. You can rely on powder coating to keep its color.
Another benefit when examining the question of powder coating vs. paint is that powder coating is also more resistant to UV degradation and extreme temperatures, making it unlikely to break down or lose effectiveness in intense sunlight or heat, such as at construction sites or in harsh factory environments.
Spray Painting Strengths and Limitations
Spray painting is useful for applications requiring intricate designs or smaller parts needing flexibility and precision.
While effective in low-stress situations, spray painting is generally less durable than powder coating and more prone to scratching, corrosion and UV degradation. It’s better suited for low-stress applications. You want to avoid using spray painting and instead implement powder coating in heavy-duty, high-impact environments.
Connect With Rhinehart Finishing Today to Learn More About Powder Coating Services
By all benchmarks, powder coating is generally stronger and more durable than spray painting, making it the best choice for applications that demand resistance to scratches, corrosion and impact.
Regarding powder coating vs. paint, industry professionals generally agree that powder coating provides superior protection, which is why you’ll want to consider using it in your facilities. To learn more about Rhinehart Finishing’s powder coating services and request a quote, please contact us today.