Industrial powder coating systems have an average transfer efficiency of around 60%, meaning 40% of the powder does not adhere to the component being powder coated. However, this powder cannot simply be reused. Due to contamination collected during the spray process, the powder collected from the spray booth must be recovered and screened before it can be used again.
Contamination can include dirt, foreign fibres, grit or metal particulate from other upstream machinery. Any of these can affect the quality of the final coated product and, considering the industries where this process is widely used, such as aerospace, automotive and construction, quality cannot be compromised.
Powder coating often follows an abrasive blasting process, such as shot blasting or sandblasting. While this prepares the surface of the object for coating, small particles of the blasting media can be found in downstream equipment and reclaimed powder, which must be removed before reuse.
The Russell Compact Sieve, showcased in the video above, uses a magnetic separator to screen reclaimed powder coating, removing oversize contamination including shot blast media.
The vibratory screener automatically screens the powder, effectively removing all contamination before reuse. The oversize contamination, such as the shot blast balls, is removed by the sieve mesh. Any ferrous particles fine enough to pass through the mesh are removed by the magnetic separator.
Read more: Cleveland Ohio Powder Coating Screening and processing systems for powder coatings
