Brief introduction of fluidized bed powder coating

The fluidized bed powder coating system has three main sections. A top powder hopper where the powder is held, a porous plate which allows air to pass through, and a sealed bottom air chamber. When pressurized air is blown into the air chamber it passes through the plate and causes the powder to float or “fluidize”. This allows the metal part to be coated to be moved through the powder with little resistance.

Fluidized bed application is accomplished by preheating a metal part and dipping it into the fluidized bed of powder. The powder material will fuse upon contact with the hot part, creating a thick continuous film (10-20 mils) on the metal surface. In cases where the part does not have sufficient mass to completely fuse the powder, the part will be put through a short post-cure cycle, typically 3-5 minutes at 400 to 500 °F (204 to 260 °C).