TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Application Technology
A Featured article in Powder Coating Magazine
By Michael Chapman - Vulcan Catalytic Systems-

Why aren’t more finishing lines in North America dedicated to powder coating
medium-density fiberboard (MDF)? This article explains why. It discusses how Europe
has gained success in the application and how the US can adopt methods to advance the
market here. Small batch and high-volume two-coat systems may be the answer. The
article describes these systems and provides tips to understanding the nature of MDF and
powder application.

Much has been talked about, written about, and put into practice since the idea
emerged of applying powder to medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Today, if companies
are seriously looking for a process to successfully powder coat MDF, they will be faced
with many views and ideas. However, the answer is surprisingly simple: They may just
have to look and learn from a new approach at has taken root in Europe and has now
spread to the US with two companies using the new approach.

Optimism for the potential pounds of powder that could be consumed has always
been running high among powder coating producers for the potential applications of
powder on MDF. A growing acceptance of this robust coating technique that offers new
design opportunities, together with a very cost-competitive alternative to the established
processes of liquid coating and vinyl (PVC) wrapping, is now attracting attention among
point-of-purchase display manufacturers and kitchen cabinet door producers. Besides
cost, the well-proven environmental and physical benefits brought by powder are further
driving the new interests.

Historically, there have been two basic powder coating processes to choose from:
ultraviolet (UV) cure and thermal cure. At the onset, the thermal process took hold as the
process of choice, with convection providing the heat for preheating of the MDF and cure
of the powder. UV systems, while showing great promise with the lower heat
requirements, shorter curing times and more re compact lines compared with the thermal
process, did not gain ground and have been unable to spawn new investors in this
process.

Today, in North America, most of the original dozen or so convection users have now
been reduced to a handful, and there are two or three UV users that are currently in
production. So, the question arises as to why the processes with so much potential and
promise are apparently stalled. The answer lies in a mixture of high capital cost for a
system together with the high cost of UV powders and evidence of unreliable results for
the finished parts brought on by a combination of process and material variables.
Environmental legislation prompts a new direction

If the process is stalled in North America, the reverse has been the case in Europe.

This left thermal powders as the way forward. The debate then centered on which type of
heat to use for both the preheat of the MDF and the cure of the powder. Historically, the
convection process required a high cost in ovens and long dwell times of more than
15minutes in the preheat oven and a further 8-plus minutes for the cure of the powder.
MDF is inherently a bad conductor, hence heat transfer via conduction is poor, requiring
long conveyor tracks for the heating dwell times and, consequently, long cooling times.
Infrared (IR) is known as a faster method of heating the surface of flat panels compared
with convection, especially if the panel is a poor conductor.
Understanding these differences in the heating dynamics of IR and the effects this has on
the MDF and the powder coating would be instrumental in designing a new process that
would reduce the overall exposure of heat that is characteristic of convection. The basic

Difference in the two heat sources is that convection heats objects via the conduction of
heat from hot, high-velocity air to the MDF substrate, and IR heats the surface by
radiation. The convection process promoted in the US required that the MDF be at such a
high temperature that the powder fused to the hot board. This high temperature is
inherently bad for the board because it causes stress and damage to the glues that hold the
board together while driving the majority of the moisture from the board, especially at the
extremities of the part.
MDF moisture content. MDF has a natural water content of typically 5 percent to 7
percent. The new system developed uses this as a means to make the board conductive.
By quickly raising the surface temperature of the MDF to 200°F during a total dwell time
of up to 2 minutes in a catalytic preheat oven, the board becomes conductive and remains
so for up to 5minutes after leaving the oven. Board temperature at application is 120°F to
150°F, well below the temperature at which the powder would fuse to the MDF. This
method of applying the powder to the MDF is contrary to the convection process. In that
process, the preheat lasts for some 15 minutes, virtually drying the board and raising the
temperature to some 275°F at which point the powder will fuse to the board. By forcing
the board to become conductive, however, the powder is easily attracted to the MDF at
much lower temperatures, ensuring a high degree of transfer efficiency. The attraction
causes powder to wrap around the board perimeter in a similar fashion to metal.

Powder cure.
Once the powder is evenly deposited on the board surface and around the edges, the
board enters into a catalytic cure oven (Figure 2). Curing is complete within 5minutes.
The catalytic heaters within the oven are arranged in such a pattern as to drive the
temperature of the powder on the edges through to cure as quickly as possible. This
action has a number of benefits; the primary one being to seal off the edge to any out
gassing that tends to happen along the edges of the board. By concentrating the IR toward
these edges, the face of the board easily absorbs the required IR to flow and cure these
flat areas. MDF has a natural tendency to expand when the relative humidity increases,
especially at low ambient temperatures. Some MDF expands more than others. That’s
why the powder on the edges has to be well-cured to reach the full physical properties of
the coating. For a line running at 10 feet per minute, the typical oven length is 45 feet to
50 feet. Throughout the oven, some 50 heaters operate on 40 zone controls.
Understanding the heating profile through temperature logging is critical to achieving
good cures. A sample board has small lightweight thermocouples glued to the four edges
and the flat top and bottom surfaces. This board is periodically sent down the oven to
compare oven settings for peak temperature and duration. The two-coat process. The
process previously described is the basic method of applying and curing powder for a
one-coat system. From market pressures, it became essential to achieve a homogenous-
looking substrate for both the edges and the flat surfaces. MDF has an end grain, and
despite well-routed profiles and sanded edges, the differences in MDF density across the
end grain are difficult to hide. During the curing process, out gassing takes place. In
addition, as the powder flows (and depending on the viscosity), it will “edge dive” in the
less dense region in the center of the board, leaving a distinct area that telegraphs the
coarser, less dense area through the finished coating (Figure 3). By simply applying a
second coat, however, this area blends in perfectly with the rest of the surfaces. The
challenge was to incorporate the two powder application booths and three ovens in a line
process that was economical and not too distressing for the MDF with heat buildup.
MDF is a porous medium. Consequently, its moisture equilibrium changes according to
the climate. As the moisture percent increases within the board, slight increases in board
thickness occur; conversely, the board will shrink as moisture is given up. To
accommodate these small dimensional changes, the first coat takes on the properties of a
formal powder prime coat, followed by the normal low-bake powder topcoat. In the two-
coat system, as the board cools down between exiting the prime cure oven and entering
the topcoat booth, by simply wiping the primed edge with 220 sandpaper, any powder
encapsulated fiber “nibs” are easily removed, ensuring a high-quality finish from the
cured topcoat. The amount of inter-coat edge preparation depends on the degree of edge
sanding done before coating and the finishing standard required. The two-coat process
starts out as described with the prime coat applied to the preheated MDF panels, followed
by a 3-minute cure. The board exits the oven at 330°F.A5- minute to 8-minute cool down
takes place via a power-and-free conveyor system, or the board simply keeps traveling
down the line to the topcoat powder booth. (See Figure 4.)

Within minutes, the board enters the final cure oven where both coats undergo a final co-
cure. Before reaching the unload area, the board cools down for 30 minutes at ambient
temperature or for shorter times by chilled forced air cooling. (See Figure 5.)
Powder coating economics beat other MDF coating costs

The number of parts produced on a line that operates at 14 feet per minute is around 10
kitchen cabinet doors a minute at an average size of 30 inches by 14 inches (2.9 square
feet). At this rate of production with an average combined primer and topcoat thickness
of 4.0 to 5.0mils, the powder usage is 120 pounds an hour. This will produce a material
cost in the range of $0.12 to $0.15 a square foot. Most components will require a finish
on both sides, yielding a total cost of $0.24 to $0.30 a square foot of finished MDF.
Comparing the cost to vinyl or foil (PVC) wrap MDF, powder is very competitive. PVC
has a yield after wastage due to trimming of $0.60 to $0.80 a square foot, plus $0.10 for
the glue line and $0.18 for the melamine backed MDF, which totals almost $1.10 a
square foot. The labor content of the powder-coated door is substantially less than that for
a wrapped door, and powder offers an uninterrupted flow-through process, completing
the coating in a load-to-unload time of 45minutes. An additional benefit of powder
coating is the absence of a parting line between the melamine and PVC. The powder
completely encapsulates the MDF. Being able to produce large quantities of finished
parts without human interference is another big plus for powder. (See Figure 6 for
examples of MDF finished in a two-coat system.)
Small and large systems (Figure 7).

Powder coating on MDF today can be compared with powder coating on metal some 30
years ago. Many companies started by hand spraying powder coatings and curing the
parts with a small batch oven. The two-coat MDF powder coating system allows finishers
to return to this simple concept. A point-of-purchase-display or kitchen-cabinet producer
is now able to make 200 to 400 parts a day with one oven, one spray booth with four
handguns, and a conveyor long enough to hold a batch of production parts (Figure 8).
Atypical small system has a conveyor operating at 7 feet to 10 feet a minute with a 30-
foot-long oven. Half of the oven provides the preheat to make the board conductive on
the first loop. Once the production run is primed, the second half of the oven is turned on
to cure the primer. As the primer is cured, the part continues around to the spray booth,
where the topcoat powder is applied with the board at 140°F. The line continues until all
the topcoat powder parts have passed through the cure oven. The four handguns are set
up with two for primer and two for topcoat. Color changes on the two topcoat guns are
quick and simple, allowing for multicolor changes within any given batch with suitable
spacing of parts that are traversing down the line.
For large-scale production lines that operate at 15 feet to 20 feet a minute and produce
500 to 800 parts an hour, automatic guns are used. Oven lengths are longer than those
used in a small system. This is to accommodate the same dwell times required for good
powder transfer to the board and to complete cure cycles for the primer and the topcoat.

As powder development continues to match the market demands for the “look and
feel” of the finished MDF, an interim concept is to use powder primers followed by a
liquid topcoat. This approach imparts many of the benefits of powder followed by the
look of catalyzed lacquer for MDF.
The priming concept has taken another step forward in Australia through the use of
catalytic technology. There, epoxy primed T-111 type plywood products are used by the
construction industry. The building is pre-primed, protecting it from the elements, while
the owner decides on a final color. The pre-primed plywood allows for easier topcoat
application without the high absorption rate of the typical raw wood finish. This reduces
labor cost and overall paint consumption.

Final thoughts
The use of powder in the engineered wood industry is in its infancy. The progress has
been slow, mainly because tried-and-tested metal application and curing techniques have
been applied to these heat-sensitive materials. Wood products are very much alive and
adjust dimensionally to climatic changes. The coating application and chemistry, together
with the curing systems, must be tailored to meet these challenges. This process is well
under way with the application and market acceptance of powder coating starting to gain
ground driven by environmental concerns and competitive pressures. For the strength of
our industry, this is one market that needs special attention from vendors and consumers
alike. PC End note

1. The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
is an amendment to the international treaty on climate change, assigning mandatory
emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the signatory
nations. The objective is the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system.” As of December 2006, a total of 169 countries and other governmental
entities have ratified the agreement (representing over 61.6 percent of emissions from
Annex I countries). Notable exceptions include the US and Australia. Other countries,
such as India and China, which have ratified the protocol, are not required to reduce
carbon emissions under the present agreement. There is still some debate about the
usefulness of the protocol, and there have been some cost-benefit studies performed.
From [www.wikipedia.org].

Editor’s note
For further reading, see Powder Coating magazine’s Web site at
[www.pcoating.com].Click on article Index and search by subject category. To submit a
question, click on Problem solving. Michael Chapman is president of Vulcan Catalytic
Systems and MDF Powder Coat Systems, 300HighpointDrive, Portsmouth, RI 02872;
telephone 401/683-2070; Web site [www.vulcan-mdf. com]. Vulcan Catalytic Systems
has specialized in developing applications and controls for catalytic heaters and ovens on
a global basis, while MDF Powder Coat Systems has developed and integrated the oven
designs into successful powder coating lines for MDF.

Process tips
Here are some tips to achieving quality powder coating of MDF. It’s important to
understand the nature of MDF and how powder particles behave during application to
achieve an even coating.

• Powder coating MDF with stationary batch style ovens is difficult. It’s important for the
board to traverse through a catalytic oven so that the board moves through heating zones
to drive the powder through the heating phases required curing the powder on the edges.
Minimum line speed to produce quality parts is 6 feet a minute.

• Placing the ovens relative to the powder applicators is very important within certain
limitations. Oven lengths and distance between ovens and booths are dictated by line
speed.
Process tips and MDF properties required to be successful

• Controlling the powder wrap to maintain a maximum of 4.0 mils on the edges is the key
to preventing blisters. With automatic guns, the wrap is controlled with grounded
“robber” bars placed closely behind the MDF (Figure 1). These bars attract the powder
away from the backside of the MDF. In two European applications, applying a positive
charge to the bars provides a much finer control of powder application on the edges.

• Exceeding the cure temperature of the final topcoat is necessary when curing the primer
in the two-coat process.
MDF properties. The properties of MDF can vary based on cost and region of the country
where it is produced. It’s important to select a grade of MDF produced by a given mill
that matches the functionality and coatability required by the end product for edge finish,
rout quality, face-sanding degree, and screw holding power. Factors that affect these
properties are listed below.

• The internal bond strength of the board must be greater that 130 pounds per square inch
(psi). Boards that approach 150 psi perform very well. Boards that machine well have
internal bond strengths that work well for powder coating. With the IR process, the
internal bond strength properties are not degraded.

• The moisture content of the board should be within 5 percent to 7 percent for optimum
coating. Lower than 5 percent requires more preheat temperature, and sharp corners may
become difficult to coat.

• The average density of MDF should be 45 to 48 pounds per cubic feet (la/cu ft). The
density profile needs to be as flat as possible and not drop below 40 la/cu ft at the core of
the MDF. Sample A, with sharp changes in density profile, will have a greater tendency
for the MDF to crack during the heating cycles than sample B that has a more constant
density distribution across the board thickness. (See Figure 2.) Lower quality MDF have
a large differential between the core density and the face density, causing edge cracking
during the heating process.

• The fiber type (soft or hard wood) of the MDF has little effect on the two coat process.
The length of the fiber affects the sandability of the MDF. Shorter fibers generally
provide better quality edges and are typical of MDF with higher bond strengths.