To address customer concerns regarding the quality of the final finish of dry blended metallics, Prism Powder Coatings Ltd., Concord, ON, developed Tru-Bond bonded metallics, in which the metal particles are fused to the powder coating before application to wood, plastic or metal. The metallic and powder particles can't separate during application, producing a homogenous, consistent finish. With dry-blended metallics, the finish may vary depending on the voltage, air pressure and equipment characteristics. It was a real issue for customers, who then faced higher rework and reject statistics. Bonded metallics can be reclaimed leading to further overall savings and improvement in finish quality. "Bonding technology is not a secret but we had to invest considerable research time and capital in the equipment that bonds the metallic to the powder coat particles. The major issue we had to resolve was the safety concern of working with confined concentrations of aluminum powder." says Peter Gottschling, former technical director, Prism.

Because of this investment, bonded metallics cost somewhat more than the dry-blended metallics, but customers appreciate the consistent quality finish as much as the reduction in and rejects and potential cost because they can reclaim the powder. Even if not reclaimed, when spraying difficult-to-coat metallics, the use of Tru-Bond metallics may justify the increased material cost through reductions in rejects and rework. Tru-Bond finishes are also available for temperature sensitive substrates such as wood and plastic