Oftentimes referred to as "dry painting," powder coatings are the fastest growing finishing technology in North America. Thrust into the spotlight because of their environmental advantages, they are here to stay due to their numerous benefits. Powder coatings are now coating everything from automobiles to lawn furniture.

The term "dry painting" refers to powder coatings' lack of liquid, solvent or water in their formula. It is applied "dry" directly to a surface in a fine powder form. A powder coating is made of 4 key ingredients: resins, pigments, curing agents and additives. A powder coating manufacturer mixes these ingredients according to its formula. The mixture is then fed into an extruder which melts and cross-links the materials. After it cools, the material is chipped and ground into a fine powder. The charged powder is spray-applied to an electrically grounded surface. Finally, the coated piece is heated so that the powder coating is fused into a smooth finish.

Because they don't use solvents in their formula, powder coatings release little to zero volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the atmosphere. This not only helps our environment, but it also reduces costs for finishers because they no longer have to purchase and maintain expensive pollution control equipment. In addition, most powder coating overspray that does not adhere to the substrate can be reclaimed for future use. As a result, finishers utilize nearly 100 percent of their coating material leaving little waste and less clean-up.

As a leader in the coating industry, Bayer is dedicated to the powder coating market and is committed to offering its customers the best possible service. This includes a wide selection of coating materials with the ease of utilizing one supplier. Bayer also has a worldwide technical support network with agencies located in over 150 countries.