Powder coating of veneered particle board surfaces by hot pressing

The powder coating of veneered particle boards by the sequence electrostatic powder application - powder curing via hot pressing is studied in order to create high gloss surfaces. To obtain an appealing aspect, veneer sheets were glued by heat and pressure on top of particle boards and the resulting surfaces were used as carrier substrates for powder coat finishing. Prior to the powder coating, the veneered particle board surfaces were pre-treated by sanding to obtain good uniformity and the boards were stored in a climate chamber at controlled temperature and humidity conditions to adjust an appropriate electrical surface resistance. Characterization of surface texture was done by 3D microscopy. The surface electrical resistance was measured for the six veneers before and after their application on the particle board surface. A transparent powder top-coat was applied electrostatically onto the veneered particle board surface. Curing of the powder was done using a heated press at 130 degrees C for 8 min and a smooth, glossy coating was obtained on the veneered surfaces. By applying different amounts of powder the coating thickness could be varied and the optimum amount of powder was determined for each veneer type. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.