If you're looking for the best colors of commercial equipment, you should first of all focus on the store interior. For example, white shelves do not distract from the goods, while green shelves make the composition livelier. To stay client sensitive, our team uses powder paints. In the article, you will learn what it is, how the process of applying the material takes place, and what kind of paint we use.

What are powder paints

The powder coating method is a modern alternative to liquid paints and varnishes. The paint is created from colored plastics, which melts by high temperatures and applies to the surface. Ingredients: resins, pigments, hardeners.

The material can be categorized into several types:

• Polyester. Suitable for outdoor paintwork. This covering has a high UV resistance.
• Epoxy. This option is most suitable for underground construction, instrument-making and mechanical engineering applications.
• Epoxy-polyester. It is a mixture of epoxy and polyester resins with additional components. Epoxy-polyester paints are used for metal fittings and furniture, as well as for freezing and refrigeration equipment and so on.

In addition, the paints have different visual characteristics: you can choose glossy, semi glossy or matte variants for painting.

Powder paints are used in the industry to give color to aluminum profiles, forged products and so on. We use this material to make commercial spaces more visually appealing.

Advantages and disadvantages of powder painting

The coating has such characteristics and advantages that guarantee the absence of any defects on the painted structure:

• No need to pre-paint the surface;
• The paint may be coated in a single layer. You will spend many times less material for painting the construction compared to using liquid paintwork. For example, paintwork materials should be applied at least in 2-3 coats;
• There are practically no volatile toxic substances in the powder (liquid paintwork materials contain several times more of them) and solvents;
• When using powder paint, the material loss is only 4% (in the case of using liquid paint, it's about 50%). Also, some powder is returned and can be reused;
• The paint protects the structure from corrosion, external influences, and contamination;
• The color does not lose its brightness and saturation even with time, no matter the conditions of the equipment use;
• Even after construction deformation has been eliminated, the colors remain their original shape;
• The material does not damage due to temperature changes;
• Dries faster than other types of paints;
• This coating has a lot of pores and therefore has a higher impact resistance.

Powder paints, like any other material, have several disadvantages:

• Before applying the paint, the surface must be carefully prepared, so you will have to spend a little more time;
• It is not possible to "make your own color": the colors should not be mixed;
• You will not be able to paint the construction under the low temperature.

However, taking into account the lifetime of such constructions (from 3 to 5 years), it is possible to turn a blind eye to these 2 imperfections.

How to apply powder paints

The first step is to prepare the surface. It should be flat, free of oil stains and rust. Preparation is almost the same as for liquid paintwork. The only difference is that there is no priming stage. Product cleaning is performed either manually or by sandblasting. Another stage of preparation is phosphating. The parts should be washed in a special solution with iron or zinc phosphates. This process increases the adhesion of the paint to the surface by 2–3 times.

The powders are sprayed only on the previously prepared surface, and then melt under the influence of high temperatures. The whole process takes place in an automatic painting line. To dry the surface, the material is placed in a drying chamber with a temperature of 200ºC. When using liquid paint coatings, the structure would have to be dried several times, in the case of powder paints it is enough to place the surface in the drying chamber once. After drying, the paint is securely fixed to the product. The last stage is to pack the ready-to-use parts in stretch wrap.

The whole process of powder coating is totally automated: there is no need to spend a lot of time on employee training, besides the corners and edges that can be missed by a man will be processed by the equipment.

What kind of paint we use in our work

At Ustor, we work with proven RAL paint suppliers. Originally there were only 40 shades in the list, but now there are more than 200 variants. In addition, RAL coding is used in documents around the world. In order to simplify the work of designers, architects and construction manufacturers, the program "Ral Digital" has been developed. There it is possible to choose a shade of powder paint from any collection.

Briefly, about how to understand the RAL coding. Each color has its own four-digit code. The first digit is the main tone of the RAL palette, and the next 3 digits are needed to clarify the shade in this category. This is a certain serial number of a certain color in the system. For example, RAL4005 - Blue Lilac (to order the paint from the manufacturer, just remember the numbers). See below the basic tone hint (first digit):

1 — yellow

2 — orange

3 — red.

4 — Purple

5 — blue.

6 — green

7 — gray.

8 — brown

9 — white and black.

Our example can be found in the purple palette under number 5. You can find the full catalog of shades here.

The Ustor manufactures commercial equipment for stores and focuses on both standard series and design concepts. You think about style, shape, and color, and we put your ideas into practice. Order equipment for your sales floor on our website or call (096) 131-86-05.