Powder Coating Services per MIL-PRF-24712A
Artistic Plating Company is an industry leader in demanding powder coating services to MIL-PRF-24712A. Artistic excels in challenging powder coating applications on smaller to mid-size products that have the highest aesthetic, selective coating or functional performance requirements. In addition, Artistic has extensive expertise in selective powder services utilizing standard, proprietary and custom molded masking techniques (reference Selective Powder Coating in our Plating Topics section). Artistic Plating’s powder coating services are currently employed in numerous industries including the medical, defense, marine, electronic, power distribution, agricultural and food processing industries.
Artistic couples numerous pretreatment options with our powder coating services including vapor degreasing, iron or zinc phosphating of steel products, passivation of stainless steel products or chromate conversion coating of aluminum products to enhance the overall corrosion performance of the powder coating system. Mechanical polishing or graining of basis materials as well as chemical etching of products can be provided to enhance coating adhesion.
Artistic currently provides powder coating services with all major powder suppliers including Dupont, Rohm & Haas, PPG and 
Tiger Drylac just to name a few. All thermoplastic and thermoset resin systems can be provided including epoxy, polyesters, urethanes or hybrids. Specific cure cycles of each powder can be monitored and certified using a DATA PAQ temperature profiling system. Artistic offers powder coating services in a wide range of existing stock colors or custom-match powder can be developed through our rapid prototyping department.
Powder Coating Services – Powder Coating Background and Properties
Powder coating is a “green” dry-applied paint process that it does not utilize a liquid solvent for application resulting in zero volatile organic emissions. During application the dry powder paint is feed via compressed air through an application system. The spray gun imparts a strong electric charge on the powder particles as they exit the spray nozzle. The powder is then accelerated toward the grounded work piece due to the applied electrostatic charge.
Once applied the parts are processed through a cure oven where the dry powder cures and transitions from a dry state to a liquid state to a fully cured solid state. The specific cure cycle of the powder depends on the powder used but generally takes between fifteen to thirty minutes. Typical cure temperatures range from 275F for low-cure powders to as high as 450F.
Powder coating services have several advantages over traditional wet spray painting as follows:
- Powder coating can produce much thicker coatings without drips, runs or sags compared to conventional wet-spray paint. Typical single-layer powder coating thickness range from 0.001 to 0.004 inches. Greater mil thickness coatings equate to better corrosion and wear performance.
- Baked powder coatings are generally tougher and more resilient to impact than traditional wet spray paints.
- Powder coating is a green process that does not use volatile organic compounds for application. Powder coating produces virtually no hazardous waste.
The specific powder properties are fully a function of the powder being used. Each resin system has specific advantages and disadvantages. The chart below provides basic qualitative comparisons between the various powder resin systems.
Powder Coating Services – Powder Coating Specifications
The most common powder coating service certified by Artistic Plating is MIL-PRF-24712A. Artistic Plating can also certify our powder coating services to most company specific specifications as needed. A summary of powder coating services per the MIL specs is as follows:
Powder Coating Services to MIL-PRF-24712A
The Types of powder coatings are designated as follows:
Type I – Epoxy
Type II – Epoxy polyester hybrid
Type III – Polyester
Type IV – Polyester Triglycedial Isocyanurate (TGIC Polyester)
Type V – Polyester Urethane Hybrid
Type VI – Acrylic
Type VII – Acrylic Polyester Hybrid
Type VIII – Acrylic Urethane Hybrid
Type XI – Urethane
Type X – Polyurethane
Type XI – Vinyl
Type XII – Nylon
The Classes of powder coatings are as follows:
Class 1 – Interior, dry service
Class 2 – Interior, wet spaces, immersion service
Class 3 – Exterior
Specific performance of the coating is outlined in section 3 including
3.7 Weathering Properties (Class 3 Only) – Accelerated Weather & Humidity Resistance
3.8 Color
3.9 Flexibility (Classes 1 and 3 Only)
3.10 Adhesion – Class 5B Minimum
3.11 Secular Gloss – 45 Minimum, 85 Maximum at 60-degree
3.12 Dielectric Strength – 30 Volts per Micrometer
3.13 Thermal Shock Resistance (Class 3 Only) – 10 Cycles (165 to –65F)
3.14 Impact Resistance -18 Nm direct, 2.8 Nm reverse
3.15 Abrasion Resistance – weight loss < 60mg epoxy, 100mg all others
3.16 Salt Spray Resistance (Class 2 and 3 Only)
3.17 Fluid Resistance Properties – Boiling Water, Hydrocarbon Immersion, Hydraulic Fluid
3.18 Chemical Resistance
3.19 Weathering Properties (Class 2 only)
3.20 Hardness – Not less than 2H
Powder Coating Services – Why Artistic Plating?
Artistic Plating provides expertise in powder coating services to fulfill even the most demanding applications. From prototyping and PPAP qualification to full production processing – it is Artistic’s dedicated effort to exceed your expectations. The following points highlight why Artistic Plating is a leader in powder coating services:
- Selective Powder Coating Experts: Artistic offers unmatched masking expertise in selective powder coating services (reference Selective Powder Coating in our Finishing Solutions section). We have developed propriety methods and techniques to mask even the most demanding applications. Numerous products are coated with over twenty masks per unit. From the simplest tape mask to the most demanding custom molded silicon mask, we have the expertise and engineering understanding to exceed your requirements.
- Finesse Techniques: Artistic Plating offers specialized finesse techniques in powder coating services to remove minor imperfections in powder-coated products. This ensures the highest quality finish available in the industry today.
Pretreatment Options: Many job shops only offer one multistage pretreatment option. Artistic provides flexible pretreatment with our powder coating services including chromate conversion coatings, iron phosphate conversion coatings, vapor degreasing and mechanical etching of the substrates based upon your specifications. - Any Powder, Any Manufacturer, Any Resin, Any Color: You name the powder, we can source it! We provide powder coating services with any manufacturer's powder and are experts in the various resin systems available. We offer polyester, epoxy, urethane and hybrid systems in gloss, flat and wrinkle finishes from each of the main manufactures.
- Pick a Substrate, Any Substrate: We offer powder coating services with low cure powders for delicate materials such as lead or soldered assemblies and offer multiple conversion coatings to enhance the corrosion performance and durability of our powder coats on materials such as aluminum, zinc and steel.
- One Stop Shop: Artistic offers polishing, plating and passivation finishes to complement our powder coating services. If you have been looking for a finisher that can handle all of your finishing needs, we can help!
- RoHS and REACH Compliance: Artistic is at the forefront of environmental compliance and can certify our powder coating services as needed to the current RoHS, ELV and REACH regulations.
- Lean Lead Times: With inventories leaner than ever, rapid turn around is a core company value to ensure the service our customers need in powder coating services.
- Value Added: Artistic prides itself on meeting the customer’s needs. Whether it’s custom engineering packaging, Kanban inventory management, light subassembly or multiple finishing combinations – Artistic will work with you to ensure we meeting your needs in powder coating services.
- Extensive in House Analytical and Quality Lab Services: SPC is employed in all analytical work surrounding our powder coating services. Our quality lab employs the latest technologies to verify the coating cure and mil thickness of the final coating. Our powder coating services can be certified as need to the current MIL spec or most company specific specifications.
