In Search of…

This month we seem to have a number of questions from offshore powder coating formulators. First, I must tell all my readers that I am an engineer and not a chemist. However, these questions are pretty basic, so I have no problem answering them. For the future, anyone having questions about how to formulate powder coatings should look to another source for answers, as I may not know the answer. Having said that, anyone who has questions about powder coating formulations that they may be using has come to the right place.

Question:

We do manual gel time determinations on powder coatings using a “Cure Plate” manufactured by Thermo-Electric Company . The Cure Plate is basically a heavy-duty hot plate with a 1.5-inch thick stainless steel top. This large stainless steel top helps maintain a very stable and uniform temperature. My problem is that I would like to purchase another cure plate but Thermo-Electric Company seems to have gone out of business, and I can't find another similar product on the market (there are a lot of hot plates available but all seem to have poor temperature stability). D. L.

Answer:

Though PF generally avoids naming specific suppliers, I’m confident that Paul N. Gardner Inc. manufactures the equipment you are looking for. Find more information on their web site at www.gardco.com or in the PF Online Supplier Directory at www.pfonline.com/suppliers.html.