With this issue, we celebrate our ninth anniversary. This means, we are now entering into our tenth year of existence. All this would not have been possible without the support of our readers, advertisers and well-wishers and while thanking them look forward to the same in the years to come.

In this edition, our main feature is on new developments in the powder coatings technology. Powder coatings have emerged as the new staple in many applications and have contributed significantly to the global coatings market. Powder coatings, which are available in powdered or free-flowing form, does not involve the use of solvents compared to liquid coatings, and hence offers environmental sustainability. Over the past years, the global powder coatings market has grown slightly above the GDP, and 2018 was no exception. The industry expects the market to continue its healthy growth path driven by general economic growth and the ongoing adaptation of powder coatings as an alternative for liquid coatings in the marketplace.

Powder coatings have a high utilization of material – up to 99 percent – and any overspray can be recycled, minimizing waste. Wider color options and textures reinforce powder as a strong substitute for liquid coatings. In conclusion, powder coatings are clean, safe and sustainable; they offer excellent performance characteristics and can offer significant cost benefits compared to liquid paints.

Powder coatings offer advantages over liquid coatings at every point on the lifecycle. Powder coatings have enhanced durability, are low in VOC and are cost efficient due to high transfer efficiency and reclaimability.  From a worker perspective, powder coatings have low PPE requirements, do not use a solvent for clean-up and have minimal impact to the environment.

The heavy-duty equipment, architectural, general metal and appliance markets are all showing steady growth, along with automotive. While powder has traditionally been used in these areas, confidence in powder coatings is growing.  While powder has proven exceptional durability and corrosion performance, advances in the technology have proven that powder coatings are capable of higher appearance standards, good finish and gloss, lower and faster cure rates, thinner films and wider metallic color space. This is why it is widely used in the consumer white goods industry like refrigerators, motorbikes, scooters, etc., rather than in the corrosion sector.

All this and much more with our regular features, product profiles, new product launches, industry news, etc, as we look forward to the new volume ahead.