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POWDER COATING, November 2017 23 Figure 5 Powder Coated Steel Bridge Guardrail Over ten years of protective and decorative value and still looks great. In conclusion Environmental stresses will take their toll on all finishes over time. Proper care and maintenance can prolong the inevitable, but changes in the coatings' appearance and protective properties will certainly happen. The negative effects of environ- mental exposure and physical aging of organic coatings will eventually result in changes that, at some point, will require special attention, including the possibility of refinishing, to restore the desired deco- rative and protective values of any finish. The quality expectation of any applied organic finish is dependent on metal alloy, product design, finishing material selection, pretreatment, and application processes and their controls. Coating material and process selection for any organic finish applied to a metal product will involve a variety of complex factors that must be considered when specifying the right finish and processes required for long term projects. Consideration must also be given to the undisputable fact that no organic finish will last forever out- doors. If everyone would take the time to develop a basic and practical understand- ing of the physical limitations of decora- tive and protective coatings there would much less litigation involving unreason- able expectations and subjective opinions regarding the natural changes in applied coating for exterior use. PC Editor's note For further reading, visit Powder Coating magazine's website at www.pcoating.com and search the Article Archive by keyword, subject, organization, author, or issue date. All articles listed in the archive are available for free download to registered users. Michael W. Cravens is pres- ident of Powder Finishing Consultants, Inc., Yorba Linda, Calif., and president of IKON Powder Coating, Inc., Anaheim, Calif. With more than 3 decades of experience in the pow- der coating industry, he has written numerous articles and a training series. He is also a video producer, a seminar leader, and a member of many finishing industry organizations, including the Powder Coating Institute. This column discusses problems encoun- tered by powder coaters during the daily operation of their powder coating lines. These are in-the-field experiences from coaters. Its intent is to provide practical information to line personnel who coat all day to help them improve in their work. If you would like to contribute to this column, contact Alicia Tyznik, editor, at 651/287- 5620, or email atyznik@cscpub.com. SIMPLIFY & IMPROVE YOUR PRETREATMENT PROCESS ONE-STEP, NO HEAT, NO WATER, NO WASTE Pretreatment Solutions • Eliminate Re-work • Stop Babysitting Your Pretreatment Bath • Quit Dumping Sludge Plaforization ™ and TORAN ™ is simpler and WILL SAVE YOU MONEY 1 Step Tank Minute PRETREAT IN Switch to Plaforization™ and Toran™ - the worldwide leaders in cost-effective pretreatment for more than 40 years. "I only have to immerse the parts for one minute… Also, I never have to change the solution because the polymer absorbs the oil, and the continuous ltration system removes the dirt. All I really need to do is top off the liquid." 954-228-1804 www.chemtecamerica.com info@chemtecamerica.com