POWDER COATING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF POWDER COATING USING AN ELECTROMAGNETIC BRUSH

1 . An apparatus for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

a supply of powder coating material;

a magnetic brush for applying the powder coating material to the substrate including the substrate portion from the reservoir; and

an electric field between the magnetic brush having a rotating magnetic field and the substrate wherein the powder coating material is prepared from a process for modifying a powder paint by recompounding electrostatic spray powder paint at low temperature to incorporate addenda, regrinding, or surface treating while not substantially increasing viscosity.

2 . A method for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

providing powder-coating material in a reservoir;

supplying an electric field between a magnetic brush having a rotating magnetic field and the substrate; and

applying the powder coating material to the substrate, situated in the electric field, from the reservoir using the magnetic brush.

3 . A method in accordance with claim 2 , the method further including directly applying the powder coating with the magnetic brush.

4 . A method in accordance with claim 2 , the method further including applying the powder coating by intermediate transfer using an intermediate transfer roller.

5 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , the apparatus further comprising applying the powder coating to a non-planar surface.

6 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 5 , the non-planar surface comprising wire, edges, perforation surfaces, wood, paper, cloth, fibers, screen and other non-uniform surfaces.

7 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , the applying the powder coating material to the substrate material further comprising applying the powder coating as a composite coating.

8 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 , the composite further comprising layering a toner including the powder coating.

9 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 , the method further comprising dispersing particles of different compositions in the toner comprising the powder coating.

10 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , the method further comprising applying particles of the order of micron to nanometer diameter.

11 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , the method further comprising applying a surface treatment to the powered material to create a composite material.

12 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the surface treated toner comprises applying an opposite charge to a binder portion of the powder coating material than the surface treatment.

13 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 , the powder coating material further comprising surface treated magnetic carrier.

14 . An apparatus in accordance with claim 13 , the powder coating material further comprising dispersed catalysts.

15 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the powder coating material is prepared from a process for modifying a powder paint by recompounding electrostatic spray powder paint at low temperature to incorporate addenda while not substantially increasing viscosity.

16 . A method for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

providing powder-coating material in a reservoir;

supplying an electric field between a magnetic brush having a rotating magnetic field and the substrate; and

applying a first powder coating material to the substrate, situated in the electric field, from the reservoir using the magnetic brush;

applying a second powder coating proximate the first powder coating.

17 . A method for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

providing powder-coating material in a reservoir;

supplying an electric field between a magnetic brush having a rotating magnetic field and the substrate; and

applying a first powder coating material to the substrate, situated in the electric field, from the reservoir using the magnetic brush;

applying a second powder coating proximate the first powder coating;

curing the first and second coating after the application of the second powder coating.

18 . A method for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

providing powder coating material in a reservoir by a process that modifies a powder paint by recompounding an electrostatic spray powder paint at low temperature; and

incorporating additional additives to the powder coating material while not substantially increasing viscosity.

supplying an electric field between a magnetic brush having a rotating magnetic field and the substrate; and

applying the powder coating material to the substrate, situated in the electric field, from the reservoir using the magnetic brush.

19 . An apparatus for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

a supply of powder coating material;

a magnetic brush for applying the powder coating material to the substrate, the magnetic brush comprising magnetic carrier particles;

an intermediate transfer member intermediate the brush and the substrate including a nonconductive coating capable of transferring the supply of powder coating material to the substrate;

an electric field between the magnetic brush and the intermediate; and

an electric field between the intermediate and the substrate.

20 . An apparatus for applying powder coatings to a substrate comprising:

a supply of powder coating material;

a rotating magnetic brush for applying the powder coating material to the substrate, the magnetic brush comprising magnetic carrier particles;

an imaging member such as a photoconductor, electrographic master, or ionographic member intermediate the brush and the substrate;

an intermediate transfer member intermediate the imaging member and the substrate including a nonconductive coating capable of transferring the supply of powder coating material to the substrate;

an electric field between the magnetic brush and the imaging member;

an electric field between the imaging member and the intermediate and an electric field between the intermediate and the substrate.