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Powder Coating on MDF
For over twenty years powder coating has revolutionized the finishing process for metals. The durable and environmentally friendly process has quickly made it the fastest growing finishing method in America. It has recently become even better.
Powder coating is a dry finishing process which uses finely ground particles of pigment and resin (finer than ground pepper but coarser than flour) electrostatically charged and sprayed onto a surface to be coated. The charged particles adhere to the parts until melted and fused into a tough, even coating through the application of heat and energy. The process of powder coating can be done by two techniques which use different powder chemistries: UV powder coating and thermoset powder coating.
Previously, due to the high heat needed to make the finish possible, powder coating was used primarily on metals. However, a breakthrough in curing methods has made the finish possible for heat sensitive substrates, including medium density fiberboard (or MDF). MDF, a combination of wood particles and synthetic resin, is used widely in home and office furniture, kitchen and bath cabinets and store fixture displays.
Many furniture and display makers are moving away from the standard design of square edges and are moving toward a sleeker, more contoured look featuring rounded edges and corners. One of the most salient examples is the now-standard hole for computer cords on desk tops. The addition of powder coating to MDF has given design freedoms like never before. Powder coating can easily accommodate creative intricate shapes where as the current lamination techniques that require edge banding methods can not. The low porosity and homogeneous surface of MDF makes a perfect candidate to use the technique. The seamless finish combined with the resistance to chips, stains and scratches makes powder coating very popular in the MDF market. In addition, the finish comes in all colors and can include textures.
Wood Application
Once the wood has been cleaned and is ready for finishing, it is 
arranged on a hanger for transportation. The wood is first transported to the oven that pre-heats the piece to a certain temperature, depending on the finishing system performance needs. Once heated to this temperature, it’s quickly moved to the coating booth where the spray guns atomize the powder and electrostatically charge the particles while spraying. Once coated, the product is cured in an oven where the last heating step takes place. There the powder is applied and stays on the surface until it has completely melted and cured into a smooth, finished coating, and the product is cooled.
During that process, the most crucial steps are: 1) uniformly heating the wood to the precise temperature, and 2) ensuring the correct thickness is applied by the spray guns. The precision of these two steps establishes a coating free of runs, drips and/or sags.
Until recently there have only been two choices for finishing MDF: design around the limitations of laminates or pay much more for liquid coatings of paint. Here are some benefits regarding Powder Coating on MDF.
Less Complicated Finishing Process No more sanding, priming and sealing for paint; no more gluing and edge banding of laminates. Also, harmful solvents usually needed for both painting and laminating are eliminated.
Easy-to-Use, Vertical Orientation The whole process consists of hanging the work from an overhead conveyor and coating all sides of the piece at once. No handling of the piece or drying time is needed. The powder is easier to spray so that less skilled labor is needed and there are fewer errors made in coating.
Successful testing on other wood products has given us a glimpse of the products that will soon be using powder coating. Beech, oak, ash and walnut are hard woods that have all passed, and engineers are researching the finish on paper laminated MDF, countertops, wood and trim molding, particle board and floor laminating.
Environmentally Friendly
Powder coating is also an environmentally-friendly process. Listed below are The Powder Coating Institute details of the positives to the finishing process
-- Negligible VOCs - Powder coatings contain no solvents and therefore emit negligible, if any, polluting VOCs into the atmosphere.
-- Less exhaust - Powder coating is a clean process, allowing exhaust air from the coating booth to be returned to the plant, and less oven air is exhausted to the outside.
-- Reusable overspray - Up to 98% of powder overspray can be retrieved and reused. Conventional liquid systems can lose 60-80% and vinyl membrane press operations can waste 10-40% of the material.
-- No costly waste disposal equipment - Unused powder can be reclaimed and returned to a hopper for recirculation through the system with negligible waste. Also, there is very little air-loss from the curing ovens, so there is only a small amount of volatile substance that has to be ventilated.
Lower Costs and Higher Efficiency
-- Lower heating costs for curing oven - The exhaust requirements for a powder coating oven are lower than solvent-based coatings, resulting in energy savings.
-- Greater operating efficiency/lower unit costs - No drying or flash-off time is required. Parts can be racked closer together on conveyors and pass more quickly through the production line.
-- Lower reject rates - More parts can be coated automatically with fewer rejects because powder coating does not run, drip or sag.
-- High utilization efficiency - With proper application equipment, powder materials and efficient recovery methods, one-coat application and 95%-98% powder utilization efficiency are readily available. If more than one color is desired, color changes can be made quickly.
-- Lower personnel costs - Minimal operator training and supervision are required for a powder line. Employees prefer working with dry powder because of lack of fumes, reduced housekeeping problems and minimum clothing contamination.
-- Simplified permit process - The permitting process for a powder coating operation is simpler. Compliance with federal and state regulations is also easier, saving both time and money.
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