Particulate Science and Technology, Vol.16, No.3, 239-248, 1998
Effect of particle size distribution on transfer efficiency and appearance in powder coatings
Three powder samples of identical chemistry were taken from the same lot under different conditions: (1) relatively wide size distribution (Sample A) d(50) = 18.1 mu m, (2) narrow size distribution, d(50) = 22.4 mu m (Sample B), and (3) wide size distribution with more fines than Sample A, d(50) = 15.1 mu m (Sample C). Within this relatively minor variation of Particle Size Distribution (PSD) with respect to duo, the appearance of the powder with minimum d50 (15.1 mu m) was best. The results show two trends: (1) PSD with d(50) about 15 mu m can result in excellent appearance (GM Tension in the range of 18 to 19 on a scale of 0 to 20), and (2) the width of the distribution need not be narrow when d(90) is less than 40 mu m. Polymer powders in this size range do not fluidize well without agitation, but when vibration was applied, all three samples had R values (fluidity) 200 or above, which is adequate for fluidization and transport. The maximum R value was obtained for Sample A which had the widest size distribution. Thus, the fluidity tests agreed with the expected results.