Why Powder-Coat Extruded Aluminium?
Posted on: 8 May 2020
Given that sections of extruded aluminium are usually scratch-resistant and have an attractive finish, you might ask yourself why you'd ever appoint a metal powder-coating company to finish them for you. After all, aluminium extrusions are usually very stable and oxidise in such a way that you don't have to worry about deterioration from rust, as you might do with steel sections of metal, for example. That said, metal colouring does make a great deal of difference whether you are talking about extruded aluminium or not. Why choose a powder-coating company to finish your extruded aluminium with a metal colouring covering of this type?
Even Finishes
If you want a variation from the silvery appearance that most oxidised aluminium alloys have, then you will need some form of metal colouring. In many cases, this will mean a paint application, but power-coating services can be quicker, cheaper and more efficient. A fabrication firm which has made a set of goalposts from extruded aluminium, for instance, will usually want a white metal colouring application. Paint will commonly run leaving drips and unwelcome, uneven appearance. On the other hand, a typical powder-coating company will enable you to achieve a much more uniform look, especially where the extrusions meet one another in a join. This is due to powder coating being applied in a spray form with an electrically charged resin.
Faster Curing
When you paint an item that is made from extruded aluminium — and other forms of extruded material, such as thermoplastics, for that matter — you may need to cure it. This can be sped up using a firing kiln, but this comes at a financial and environmental cost as these things take a lot of energy to fire up. Conversely, powder coating allows for a much faster metal colouring application with reduced curing time. The costs can be shared when your chosen powder coating company cures your products at the same time as others, thereby affording you an economy of scale.
Improved Protection
Although metal colouring is important with extruded aluminium, powder coating also affords a great deal of protection. Sure, extruded sections of aluminium are not particularly prone to accidental scratches, but they can be vandalised by someone using a knife or a chisel. Additionally, aluminium products can be stained by something as straightforward as a bottle of fizzy drink. In both cases, powder coating can provide excellent additional protection from such problems. That's why so much extruded aluminium that goes into things like signs and street furniture in the public realm has been coloured by a metal powder coating company these days.
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