Powder vs. E-coating

Question:

Which would provide better corrosion resistance over stainless steel—powder coating or electrocoating? Which material is more durable? C.M.

Answer:

You are comparing two different coating methods, both of which have many coating formulations that you can choose from. What is more important is the particular coating formulation properties and not the method of application. For instance, epoxies can be applied in either e-coat or powder coating. Epoxies have great corrosion resistance properties and are very durable as well. Epoxies in powder form are applied thicker than e-coating and therefore can be better for some applications. Also epoxies applied as a powder coating have higher crosslink properties than e-coat, making them stronger and more chemical resistant.

However, if you compare a polyester powder coating to an epoxy e-coating, you will find that the epoxy is more chemical and corrosion resistant than the polyester. This might lead you to believe that e-coating is more corrosion resistant than the powder coating, when in fact the reason for the performance difference is the coating formulation and not the method of application. Don’t mix tomatoes with apples. Keep coating formulation issues separate from the method of application when you test coatings for performance and you can’t go wrong with the results.