Let’s talk about powder-coating and why it is an eco-friendly finish option for interior and exterior architectural signage. In order to understand what makes powder coating a finish option for  “green signage” solutions, we need to briefly talk about VOC’s (volatile organic compounds).

VOC’s are organic chemical compounds that vaporize or evaporate under normal atmospheric conditions and are the off-gassing component typically found in carpet adhesive and paint. You know that new painted room smell or the smell in your house after putting in new carpet? That’s VOC’s. As you may already know, VOC’s are a necessary component of liquid paint and adhesives because the evaporation process is what allows paint and glue to dry and cure.

Well, to earn credits toward LEED® certification for a commercial building, having highly rated indoor air quality is of great benefit. That means you need to have low VOC’s or very few off-gassing portions of the building.

That’s where powder-coating becomes a great choice because:

• Powder-coating can be applied to any metal surface
• Green production process produces no VOC’s
• Green alternative to anodized & oxidized finishes
• Electrified application process ensures smooth, evenly distributed color coating to all surfaces
• Almost all PMS colors can be matched.

So What Is Powder-Coating and How Does it Work?

In the simplest terms, powder coating is a dry finishing process, unlike liquid paint finishes. It is sprayed in a booth with a gun suitable for powder. Powder starts with a resin, a hardener, and a pigment. This mixture is then placed in a heated extruder and rolled flat. When cool, it is broken into chips that are milled and sieved to create a fine powder. The pieces being coated receive a positive charge, while the powder is negatively charged as it is sprayed, creating a high bond with the surface being coated.  The coated pieces are then heated to ” flow ” and ” bond ” the powder.