PPE for Powder Coating; Hoods; Shoes; Safety Issues

Q. I am looking for a source or suggestions of employee Safety Recommendations when using powder coat systems.

A. Actually, you came to the right place.

Letter 13877 talks about NFPA requirements for the booth and installation area. For other issues ask a specific question, and you are liable to get an answer.

For instance, ;-)

We handle waste powder from the coating operation by sweeping it up into a paper bag, then collecting the bags in the furnace room. Is this a good idea? ;-) Tom

A. For a general introduction to the issues, CCAI (CCAIweb.com) offers a 225 page "Hazard Communication Pocket Handbook" which is pretty good, and at $8 (even less for CCAI members) plus $5 shipping it is quite the buy!

My first question would be whether either or both of the shrouds have approval ratings from standards authorities. Do they claim to meet any ANSI standards?

Q. Ted,

I have done some checking about the outer shrouds and have only found information on the plastic one so far. I do not see anywhere on the package that it says it is ANSI approved or meets ANSI standards. It does say however that it uses are, General Purpose W-5005, Abrasive Blasting W-5006, and Welding W-5003. Unless Powder Coating is considered General Purpose use, I don't see anywhere on here that it is for powder coating. As I said before, the paint does go through the cracks in the seems, therefor it is not completely sealed. As for the leather ones, I have been told that they are for welding, but seeing that the plastic ones are also, I can't see the difference or harm in using the leather one. I would greatly appreciate you help on this subject, if you are able. I thank you for your time and hope I have given you enough information.

Thanks again,

A. Hi, Lacey. Those numbers seem to be 3M codes for general purpose, abrasive blasting, and welding helmets. If you can't find any specific requirements for powder coating helmets, I'd say the W-5005 would be right helmet, and that your plastic shrouds, which 3M apparently includes or lists for this helmet, are the best choice. But 3M has an "R-Series Air Crown Headgear" suggested for powder coating, so they may be able to explain any differences between this and what you are using, and why it might be better.

It's possible that the leather shroud is an older 3M accessory for the same helmet, but who knows? Sometimes we are forced to throw out leather shrouds and old world wooden cutting boards (as the New York City chefs were ordered to do) before we find out that the plastic ones are more dangerous than what they made us throw out after all :-)

Regards,

A. Hi Mike, Hi Richard.

I'm not sure that there is a need for signage as it's quite possible that no toxic or hazardous materials are involved. But you should not be inhaling anything. If you are spraying within a booth, I would think you should have an air helmet as mentioned in the postings above. If you are outside of a tunnel, operating something remotely, I don't know whether you would need to wear anything. You can anonymously call an OSHA Hotline and your workplace will be inspected.

Mike: You are apparently in a non-union position in a non-union shop, so there isn't any standard wage. But I would think that if you've applied yourself over the last several months so that you've learned something, you should be able to land a position with a reputable firm that cares for their employees safety and pays a prevailing wage. Remember that if you work for a bad outfit, you help them undercut legitimate shops and win contracts, which pulls down everyone -- so you are not just a victim, you are part of the cause. See if you can't find a better position. Best of luck.

Regards,

A. All powder coatings (and any other chemicals/products) that you purchase should have corresponding MSDS sheets with them. The MSDS sheets have a section which tells you what PPE to wear when using that particular product.

A. Any good rubber soled work boot or shoe should be acceptable. Have them wear Tyvek booties in the paint area and booth to eliminate the possibility of your tech's tracking oil and dirt from other areas of the plant into the application area. Respirators and ear plugs are generally the most important PPE's associated with the application of powder coatings. Ear plugs being most important due to high decibel's of booth exhaust fan's. Also, properly ground equipment and make sure your UV flame detection equipment is clean.

A. Hi Chuck. What flames are those? Either I am misunderstanding something about powder coating or you are. There is a "cure oven" and sometimes a drying oven or preheating oven, but no open flames that I know of.

The powder is sprayed on as a fine powder, sticks to the part due to static electricity, and then is baked so it flows together into a coating.

Regards,

Q. Ted, After talking with my painter, he informed me that after the cabinet is heated, the center of the torch blows the polycoat onto the cabinet. Then after, he sprays on the powder coat with the gun and heats it back up with the torch. He says he has done it your way before, but this is much more efficient. He has been doing this for 12 years. My original question was how to protect the painter from the flames?

Thank you,

Hi again Chuck. As someone who has never personally powder coated anything, I'm certainly not going to claim that I know more than your operator who has been doing it for 12 years :-)

All I can say is that I've never seen such a thing, so we'll have to wait for someone who has. Unfortunately I can't suggest a reasonable safety protocol under this circumstance.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 2014

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A. I assume that you are talking Thermoplastic Powdercoating?

As 99.9% of Powdercoat is thermoset then that has created the confusion.

Perhaps if you could explain your Thermoplastic procedure in detail we may be better able to assist.

Are you using a Xiom System or maybe a Plascoat system?

Please advise.
Regards,
Bill

Thanks for your insight, William. I've only seen thermoplastic powder applied from a fluidized bed, never a spray, so it's unfamiliar to me.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 2014

A. It is possible to powdercoat using a gar torch to heat the object then spray powder at it. This is a very crude method, and not advised. A bit like painting liquid paint using a rag instead of a brush?
There's also the flame sprayed system such as Bill mentions, Xiom (and others), where an oxy-propane gun has powder delivered by compressed air to the hand held gun such that a flame and powder are sprayed simultaneously (we have one of these).
It's controlled by a trigger on the gun, so the operator is in full control of both the gun running and the direction s/he points it. Its more suitable to thermoplastics, but can be used for thermoset powders too. The control is nothing like what can be achieved using traditional method.
It's a one handed operation. It's not necessary to protect that one hand holding the gun, which isn't hot, but it's advisable; but a simple leather glove is enough.
In this situation, safety glasses would be another way to reduce risk, but there isn't a specific eye risk.

The biggest risk is to observers, they should be kept clear.

A. Well, it is obviously impossible to achieve a true powdercoat specification of any kind using thermo-set powders in this way.
It might be possible to produce a glossy short lived coloration, but that is all.
It simply does not have the control necessary to cross-link the polymers and achieve a true Powdercoated finish.
On the other hand if we are dealing with Thermo-Plastic powders then all that is required is to melt them, so a real result might be achieved.
Whilst I have a great deal of respect for Geoff's expertise, I would suggest that a suitable Respirator is definitely required together with eye protection and a hand protection which is Conductive.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Bill

I think you pretty much answered my question. Thanks for all your help.

"Well, it is obviously impossible to achieve a true powdercoat specification of any kind using thermo-set powders in this way."

... which is why our unit is not in use and has been in storage for some years now.
The call for thermoplastics in our market is much smaller, and we have far better control using a standard curing oven.

A. Well, the answer in brief is no, a paper mask is not adequate PPE for a powder applicator.
Powder can affect every orifice and even the skin to various degrees.
The first thing is to limit exposure:
Ensure the gun earth cable is attached to the target area (usually the booth).
Ensure that the applicator is as removed as possible from the spray zone. This may mean ensuring that the applicator can fully extend the gun control arm as far away from the body as possible (usually achieved by providing a spring loaded gun support cable}
Ensuring that the air flow across the face of the booth is adequate to suck the powder away from the operator.
Once these areas are addressed then we can look at adequate PPE:
Hooded disposable overalls.
Gloves (with palm cut outs for gun earth}
Full hood respirator fitted with appropriate cartridges (usually belt mounted fan driven for positive pressure}
Safety boots without rubber (insulating) soles or alternately earthing drag straps.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Bill