Maximum Moisture?

This month we seem to have a number of questions from offshore powder coating formulators. First, I must tell all my readers that I am an engineer and not a chemist. However, these questions are pretty basic, so I have no problem answering them. For the future, anyone having questions about how to formulate powder coatings should look to another source for answers, as I may not know the answer. Having said that, anyone who has questions about powder coating formulations that they may be using has come to the right place.

Question:

We produce Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) and decorative powder coatings and would like to know what the maximum moisture content of these coatings are in order to obtain good results in application and finish? M. A.

Answer:

 Most powder coatings are shipped with less than 2% moisture by weight. Much more than this, and problems with the application equipment and resultant finish normally occur.