QUALICOAT UK & IRELAND
Finishing – Reducing the Carbon
By Angus Mackie - QUALICOAT UK & Ireland Chair
Since the 1970 ’ s powder coating has revolutionised the Finishing Industry with its environmentally friendly application which eliminates the use of solvents or VOC ’ s ( volatile organic compounds ). With various types of modern resin systems and crosslinking compounds now used , the resultant finishes are extremely robust . Over the years since its commercial introduction , the reduction in energy usage has been driven primarily by cost saving , today the emphasis has shifted to process carbon reduction .
Already an environmentally friendly finishing process , carbon reductions can be made through efficiencies in energy usage , product packaging and transport . Members of QUALICOAT UK & Ireland , who represent the majority of the architectural powder manufactures , pretreatments system suppliers and coaters in the UK are currently reviewing ways of how this can be achieved .
Plant used for powder coating plays an important step , the more modern the plant the more efficient the running costs are with the associated reduction in carbon emissions . Modern plant also offers a high degree of powder reclaim in the powder spraying , so powder which is not attracted to the coated product is immediately reclaimed and is directed back to the spray booth .
Not all members can afford to replace plant when new designs become available , indeed the carbon costs of such a replacement could take some time to recuperate making the change unnecessary . Plant can be modified and it is this best practice that is the way forward .
The main energy consumption in architectural powder coating is the heating of the ovens where the powder on the surface of the aluminium melts and cures to form the finish . Curing ovens use gas or electricity to run up to 200 º C with modern plants opting for electricity . With gas prices increasing it is likely that we will see some conversions over to electricity in the future . Infra-red ovens can be more efficient to cure surface coatings , but , with aluminium extrusion , it is crucial that the aluminium substrate reaches the desired temperature to ensure a good cure and adhesion , there is more work to be done in this area before it becomes a viable option for architectural coatings .
Low cure temperature powders , or Low-E powders , are now becoming available so that curing ovens can be run at lower temperatures , typically 150 º C to 170 º C .
At the moment the range of colours is limited , but these products could quickly become mainstream and become specified by architects .
Where possible , packaging materials used on delivered extrusion is reused to line stillages and protect finished profile . Recycled protective materials are used to interface profiles when stacked together to ensure surface protection in transport , where possible . Whilst steel or aluminium delivery stillages have been reused through the supply chain from extruder to fabricator , work is being undertaken to reduce the carbon impact of packaging . Containers that carry powders and pretreatment chemicals are currently being collected by suppliers and either recycled or reused .
Transport between extruder , powder coater and fabricator is constantly under review to ensure ‘ carbon miles ’ are reduced to a minimum . The introduction of electric delivery vehicles will further enhance carbon reduction . Some aluminium systems companies now combine their design of systems with both extrusion and finishing on the same site .
As UK & Ireland members are working together , reductions in carbon will continue across the sector which will ensure that powder coatings continue to be the number one choice for specifiers .
Possibly the most enduring sustainable issue is that a QUALICOAT specification will ensure that an architectural powder coated project is correctly applicated to last , that in itself reduces carbon impact on our environment .
The next QUALICOAT UK & Ireland members meeting takes place on 19th October 2021 , at the Arden Hotel & Leisure Club , Solihull , please contact the General Secretary , Jan Lukaszewski , via the QUALICOAT UK & Ireland website , should you wish to attend . For details on the availability of various colours and finishes contact any QUALICOAT UK & Ireland member for more information . For updated information about the use and specification of QUALICOAT in the UK and Ireland , please visit the UK & Ireland Association website at www . qualicoatuki . org
10 OCTOBER 2021 twitter : @ surfaceworldmag