In spray coating applications, a fine powder, typically a polymer, is drawn from a storage device before being fluidised and ejected through a charged nozzle onto a substrate.
Image Credit: Freeman Technology
It is essential that the powder can be effectively and consistently fluidised, without the formation of agglomerates that may block the nozzle and affect the charging of the individual particles, leading to poor adhesion or the formation of agglomerates on the substrate. It is also essential to establish a smooth flow from the storage device, as erratic flow into the fluidisation chamber will lead to a poorly fluidised bulk.
Identifying and quantifying which powder properties correlate with the most efficient performance in a process allows new formulations to be optimised without the significant cost of running samples through the process to assess suitability, making considerable savings in terms of time and raw materials, and minimising wastage due to rejected products.
This new application note presents a study using the FT4 Powder Rheometer® to evaluate batches of polymer powder in order to identify and quantify properties that are critical to efficient performance in spray coating processes.
Copies are also available upon request in Chinese, German and Japanese.
Click here to download – ‘Batch Variability in Spray Coating Applications’.