Powder coatings play an integral part of the total coating solutions used in the automotive industry. Their function varies greatly depending on component environment and automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) requirements.
Movement to Electric Vehicles
Dielectric isolation provides battery pack longevity, performance, and safety.
The second material performance property for safety in EV battery packs is thermal management. These engineering solutions require protection from the environment, while still transferring heat from the cell to a cooling medium.
Powder coatings provide flame retardancy to limit the propagation of a fire within the pack.
Powder coatings may also yield benefits in corrosion protection, weatherability, and reduced corrosion at edges. Powder coatings have near 100% solid content and can be applied with high transfer efficiencies, thereby reducing waste.
Powder coatings are a powerful option in terms of application flexibility and material property performance.
Powder for the Automotive Industry
Both functional and decorative powders are used to enhance the lifetime of the vehicle and make the car aesthetically pleasing.
Functional powders can be used on the car body and wheels as a primer layer. These coatings provide corrosion resistance and impact resistance to gravel chips.
A substantial number of automotive accessory parts can be painted with powder coatings. Powders used for parts need to be both decorative and functional in nature. On the interior of the vehicles, powder coatings can be used on instrument panels, consoles, and displays. These powders are similar to those used on the exterior of the vehicle.
Under the hood, powder coatings are functional in nature. Suspension systems rely on superior corrosion protection, flexibility, and gravel- chip resistance on coil springs. Wheel wells and chassis require the powder toughness for impact and corrosion resistance. Lastly, brake systems require corrosion performance, but also appropriate surface properties to ensure brake system functioning.
Redefining Edge Protection
The coatings provide enhanced performance for sharp edges, louvers, blades, mesh, and other parts that contain hard-to-cover features. High-edge powders may be used to improve the corrosion performance of traditional monocoat powders as a subsequent layer. The exceptional edge protection goes beyond the convenience and savings that come with a one- coat application. High-edge powder formulations provide up to four times more dry film thickness on the edge in a single powder booth pass and can be run on a standard line, reclaimed, and used in automatic and manual powder systems. These features allow for ease of line changeover if enhanced edge performance is needed. Additional edge corrosion may be needed for any parts with sharp edges and exterior exposure. Some additional examples are heavy duty equipment such as tractors or boom lifts, electrical generators, and outdoor tank systems.
High-edge powder has advantages versus conventional direct-to-metal powder in some circumstances such as:
Enhanced part appearance by allowing uniform coverage, color, and gloss across the part.
Reduced touch up and associated labor.
Reduced part edge rounding or grit/sand blasting.
Fewer sharp edges for improved handling.
Reduced part cost due to lower powder usage.
High-edge powders can also replace the primer layer in many applications. Potential cost savings can be captured by eliminating the primer and associated labor to run the powder coating booth.
Today, powder coatings technologies provide several performance, cost, and sustainability benefits to the automotive parts industry and beyond.