Nylon is a product that is manufactured from the oil of the Castor plant. It is considered a top quality, resilient, and environmentally sound product. It offers a superior finish and is resistant to oils and other chemicals. It is often used in the food and water industries, as well as in the manufacturing of public transportation vehicles. Often times it is used for rails, handles, and seats.
At Secoa Technology, the nylon we use in our nylon powder coating is a high-performance technical polymer. It is used in the most demanding of applications, as it has excellent physical, chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties.
Types of Nylon Powder Coating
There are two types of nylon powder: thermoset and thermoplastic. Some catalysts in thermosets are heat sensitive. Once applied to the surface of an object, these coatings begin to melt when the temperature reaches 250 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Once a temperature of 350 degrees is reached, a chemical transformation occurs in the nylon coating that creates a flexible plastic coating, which becomes extremely strong.
With thermoplastic nylon powders, an object is heated passed the melting point of the nylon coating and the powder is applied thereafter. At this point, the coating instantly fuses to the surface of the object. This is the most non-corrosive, chemically resistant, and most common type of nylon coating.
Application
There are two ways to apply a nylon powder coating. One is by using a fluidized bed technique. This consists of using a pool of nylon powder coat that has been pulverized into fine powder, which then has a gas passed through it in order to make it a fluid. The object to be coated is then heated to the correct temperature and dipped into the fluidized powder.
The other way is by means of an electrostatic spray. This method uses a spray gun that charges the ions inside the plastic powder electrically. The powder is then sprayed at room temperature and later heated. We use both of these methods to create an impact and abrasion-resistant coating that is strong, with a low coefficient of friction.