The Powder Coating Standard

Powder coating is the finish on all Origin’s product ranges. It comes in a very wide range of colours and on the surface, can look excellent once installed. As a building is ‘only as good as its foundations’, what lurks in and under the powder coat finish matters a great deal. There are standards that specify the application of powder coating for architectural finishes and the powder coaters that we use closely follow these standards. QUALICOAT is a standard which encompasses all the current European standards, improves on them, insists that the output be checked by an independent body, and you have the QUALICOAT standard.

Powder coating is an architectural finish. It is a dry coating process that is sprayed onto the pre-treated aluminium profiles. Pre-treating involves removing dust, grease and foreign particles from the aluminium in order to ensure good adhesion. The powder is then cured by heating in a large oven until you have a uniformly melted coating. Once this has cooled, you will have a smooth, hardened coating.

The powder coating is intended to cover the significant surface of the profile, edges and deep recesses, but secondary surfaces are not included in the significant surface. When inspecting the powder coating, the QUALICOAT guidelines state that the coating should be of even colour and gloss level, and when viewed on site, you should stand 5 metres away from surfaces on the outside and 3 metres away from surfaces on the inside. There should be no scratches back to the base metal, and from these distances, you should not be able to see any pinholes, pits, scratches, dull spots, or blisters.

Powder coating is also environmentally friendly. It uses powder instead of liquid paint and there are no solvents or Volatile Organic compounds, meaning there is no damage to the environment while it is being sprayed. It also produces very little waste as over sprayed powder can be collected and re-used. The coating is thick and bonds beautifully to the aluminium, so it won’t chip or peel easily.

Origin work closely with our suppliers to ensure that all our coatings meet or exceed the standards set out in the QUALICOAT guidelines.