Recent Advances in Fused Plastic Coatings for Metals

SYNOPSIS

The present situation in the application of plastics to metals to form homogeneous coatings for protection and decoration is described. Plastic coated steel is finding increasing favour in industry in applications where stainless steel is too expensive and steel coated with conventional paint finishes would not withstand the corrosive conditions. In many industries, steel articles, either painted or vitreous enamelled, are being replaced by moulded polythene: one of the disadvantages of such a course lies in the loss of rigidity with the moulded articles but polythene coated steel retains the rigidity of steel while having the desirable features of a polythene article. Plastic coated sheet or strip metal is now available commercially but the use of such material is severely limited by the fact that the coating is damaged during fabrication and, therefore, a method of coating the fabricated article is to be preferred.