What is thermoplastic coating?

What industries/businesses need powder coating services?

• I am currently working on a university project, it is about a company which provides powder coating services only business to business (for other big companies, such as; powder coating water and gas pipes for energy companies, cooking trays for kitchen appliances manufacturers..), what are the other opportunities in the market? What other industries do you think can use powder coating services? I really appreciate if you help me on this question. Thank you people. ** Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin." The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as "whiteware", aluminium extrusions, and automobile and bicycle parts. Newer technologies allow other materials, such as MDF (medium-density fibreboard), to be powder coated using different methods. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_coatingg

• Answer:

  Ships need powder coating. Corrosion is the number one problem for ship maintenance. A lot of ship's equipment gets regular coats of paint, but they are very short lived. The problem with powder coating, besides its cost, is the necessity to send the piece away. I don't know if you're trying to make the powder coating industry better, or if you just want to learn, but if you can get access to some commercial steel hulled ships you might see what I'm talking about.