The Benefits of Powder Coating
13 November 2023
At Wybone, we always review our manufacturing processes to ensure we’re getting the most out of our litter bins.
Our expertise can be found in our office departments, our factory, and, most importantly, in how we make our products.In this article, we’ll be talking about all things powder coating; its advantages, why we use it and how you’ll benefit from it.
What is powder coating?
Powder coating is a free-flowing dry powder that adds an additional protective barrier on applied products. It’s used as an alternative to liquid paint, that’s often composed of solvents and various additives. Powder coating is applied by an electrostatic charge, that’s then sprayed onto the desired surface. Once the powder is applied, the unit is placed into an oven for curing.
The benefits of powder coating
Powder coating has several benefits that make it better than traditional liquid paint. We’ve highlighted four notable strengths of powder coating below:
Durability
Powder coating is a preferable option compared to traditional liquid paint because, once the coating has been cured, it forms a protective barrier on the applied unit, far more durable than a unit that’s coated with liquid paint. Its solid texture means it has higher resistance against scuffs, scratches, corrosion and colour discolouration/fading.
For our outdoor litter bins, this is crucial. Our steel litter bins are manufactured using galvanised steel – this already provides excellent durability. But the powder-coated finish offers that additional protective barrier, ensuring our bins are left unharmed by extreme weather and frequent use.
Environmentally friendly
Powder coating is an environmentally friendly process because excess powder can be recycled and reused for future applications, significantly minimising waste. At Wybone, we powder coat all our steel products in a sealed environment, reducing the risk of air pollution.
Powder coating also contains reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when compared to other coatings like paint. These are harmful gases that are formed by high vapour pressure that can irritate the eyes, nose and throat of those that are frequently exposed to these tools.
Cost-efficient
Since powder coating has the added benefits of durability and versatility, this contributes to the longevity of the unit it’s applied to. This means you’re less likely to empty your wallets to fix or replace a damaged product. In fact, we’re so confident in our powder coating process, we offer a 10-year anti-perforation warranty on all our steel litter bins.
Powder coating is also more time-efficient compared to liquid paint – it can be applied and finished in just one application. Paint, however, would likely need multiple coatings for a full application finish.
Customisable
We understand the importance of high-quality, bespoke litter bins. After all, they’ll be a part of towns, parks and communal areas for years to come. That’s why our products are highly customisable! Powder coating is known for its versatility, which makes it a useful tool for our litter bins; they come in different shapes and sizes, and powder coating always guarantees a strong, colourful finish.
Whether it’s a gloss, matte or metallic finish, powder coating can be applied with almost any colour in mind. And our powder-coated litter bins are no exception.
Does powder coating scratch off easily?
Powder coating is known for its scratch-resistance properties, but that doesn’t mean it’s always immune to easy scratches – it all depends on how well the powder coating is applied. If applied too thin or unevenly, easy scratches may occur. That’s why it’s important to ensure proper surface preparation is made to get the most out of the powder coating.
The ease of powder coating scratching off also depends on the type of powder coating used. For example, polyurethane and polyester powder coating has excellent UV resistance and colour protection with great outdoor durability. Whereas epoxy is known for its chemical resistant properties but may be more susceptible to scratching.
How we use powder coating in our manufacturing
As we touched on earlier, we use powder coating for all our steel litter bins. This includes our flagship MLB/112, our wheelie bin covers and food waste bins. Once we’ve used our press brake machine to shape the galvanised steel carcass that forms the base of the bin, it’s taken to the confined spray booth where it’s primed and powder coated using a spray gun. The RAL colour that’s applied is determined by our customers when placing their order.
We also use powder coating for some of our healthcare bins, like the pedals and frames. This helps to bring prolonged life to our healthcare bins in a clinical environment, thanks to the corrosion-resistant benefits of powder coating.
You can see our powder coating action in process in our metal litter bin production video:
The future of powder coating
We always try to be forward-thinking at Wybone and do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint, and we know we’re not the only ones. It’s a process that’s seemingly on the rise in the manufacturing industry thanks to its durability, cost-saving capabilities and eco-friendly practices.
‘Hyperdurability’ is supposedly a prominent discussion in the powder-coating sector right now, identifying ways of enhancing its durability capabilities even further.
As modern advancements in manufacturing continue to emerge, we’ll certainly be keeping our eyes on where the capabilities and processes of powder coating will be going in the future.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve learned that powder coating is:
Durable
More resistant to scuff marks
Environmentally friendly
Cost-efficient
Customisable
Used when manufacturing our steel bins
Used on all our steel litter bins
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