Powder coating additives are critical to the functionality of powder coatings used across a broad range of applications, including the manufacture of such things as appliances, metal furniture, electronics, farm equipment, and automotive OEM and aftermarket parts.

At Shamrock, we work closely with our powder coatings customers to minimize the impact of abrasion and mar on finished products—and offer unique texturing agents that develop tactile surfaces ranging from coarse to smooth finishes suitable for use in a wide variety of baking conditions.

For peak performance, these additives should have the following characteristics:

• be a fine powder
• be specific in function
• be chemically nonreactive with binders and curatives
• be effective at low levels

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a cost-effective texturing additive, offering performance advantages such as ease of incorporation, excellent recoat adhesion and cake-free powder transfer. Concern regarding PTFE combining with oxygen and moisture to form Per-Fluoro-Octanoic-Acid (PFOA) resulted in the European Union setting limits on PFOA in PTFE micropowders.

Although those regulatory efforts have yet to settle fully into place, Shamrock proactively adopted a thorough testing process to determine the concentration of PFOA in its PTFE micropowders. Shamrock’s internal test method correlates well with test data (of the same powder samples) from external laboratories to validate accuracy and precision.

With a validated test method, Shamrock established a fully dedicated PFOA Test Center to ensure its product lines are fully regulatory compliant on an industrial scale, product by product and lot by lot.

Powder coating additives have multiple benefits:

• They produce reproducible and uniform texture;
• They create a low coefficient of friction;
• They offer outstanding mar and abrasion resistance;
• They are cost effective;
• They are suitable for high-bake temperatures;
• They prevent agglomeration of finished power;
• They act as a latent solvent;
• They improve the flow of cured film;
• They keep the film open, reducing gassing;
• They improve slip and mar resistance;
• They are useful for controlling gloss.

Shamrock Technologies is an 80-year-old company that today is the leader in recycling PTFE to produce PTFE micropowders. We offer a range of sustainable additives as a part of our dedication to recycling and promoting the circular economy. We are committed to helping the environment through the use of bio-renewable resources and conservative energy processing methods.

Shamrock Technology offers high-quality natural wax additives in a variety of formulations to meet most needs. For more information or to talk with one of our experts, get in touch today.