Materials and Finishes
In adopting powder coat finishing, DUAL LOCK was one of the early pioneers
in converting to a finishing system that would prove to be far superior
to the usual liquid paints typically used in the interior aluminum door
frame industry.
All AVALON frames manufactured at the DUAL LOCK facility are finished with the highest quality powder coatings available. Typically, an epoxy-polyester hybrid is used, which blends the extreme durability of epoxy finishes with the resiliency of a polyester coating, creating the best of both worlds.
Unlimited Color Choices
Regarding color choice, DUAL LOCK has the ability to offer a much wider
range of colors than just those shown here. In fact, the choice of finishes
is virtually unlimited, ranging from soft pastels to veined metallics. Custom
colors can be easily formulated.
Why Specify Powder Coatings?
Compared to liquid solvent borne coatings (enamels, lacquers, acrylics,
etc.), powder coatings offer vastly superior qualities of adhesion. This
means that not only will powders offer higher chemical resistance, particularly
important in post-construction clean-up, but they also have a much higher
level of impact resistance.
Powder coatings will maintain good color and gloss in heavy use and high traffic areas.
From an architectural standpoint, powder coatings offer superior edge adhesion when compared to liquid paint. This is the ability to apply the coating to sharp edges, a particularly important aspect in finishing aluminum extrusions, preventing coating failure at corners as seen with liquid finishes. Furthermore, powders have excellent abrasion and chip resistance, due to their higher molecular resin weight.
The finishing process deposits dry powder on the aluminum surface, relying on electrostatic charges to make the powder stick to the surface in an even, uniform manner. Then the particles are immediately melted and fused into a smooth coating as the metal passes through an 80 foot baking oven. This process eliminates the sags and runs found in liquids, as well as the unwanted inclusion of dust and foreign particles that liquid paints often attract during the solvent flash off and curing.
The nicks, scratches and production contaminates, normally seen in frames with a liquid finish, will simply not be found in our powder coating. Additionally, powder will typically offer a smoother, more attractive finish that can be achieved in a wide range of gloss levels. Coverage is always consistent and the application process ensures a uniform coating density, texture, surface gloss, and thickness on all surfaces.
NOTE: Colors shown on this page are web representations only.