Faded Powder Coated Paint of Outdoor Switchgear

Cat urine?
Algae, lichen, general biological action, aliens, abrasion from wind blown ash from Icelandic volcano, UV,RF,TLA, chemical incompatibility with the surface to which it was applied, poor surface preparation, faulty powder batch, poor/inappropriate application, nuclear radiation, kids picking at it, localised concentration of entropy flux.
Hard stares from disgruntle spouses.
Del

You forgot taunting by recalcitrant engineers.

Excessive internal heat will increase the rate of fading. Just about anything that causes liquid paint to fade will cause powder coatings to fade.

Nobody said anything about a good or likely cause of powder coat fading, just for a cause. I offer that Mercury is in retrograde motion.

Man, what a pair of lungs! Uv works all day.

Sun and heat tops the list alright. I compare the color of plastic handles on tools in the greenhouse with a set that were left out in the garden - exposed to sun and weather. The ones outdoors are hardly faded at all compared with the inside, sunny side hot place. Not exactly powder coated paint but the pigment issue may be the same...

GA! BTW, unless I am mistaken, powder coating IS plastic.

That deserved a GA, well done, also it got one from me as well!!

There is also the quality of the powdercoating material. Like paint, powdercoating comes in different grades and if they used a cheap grade then you can expect fading sooner.

To add to your post from: www.pfonline.com/articles/050607.html

Types of Powder Coatings
There are two types of powder coatings—thermoplastic and thermosetting. A thermoplastic powder coating is one that melts and flows when heat is applied but continues to have the same chemical composition once it cools and solidifies. Thermoplastic powders exhibit excellent chemical resistance, toughness and flexibility. They are applied mainly by the fluidized bed application technique, in which heated parts are dipped into a vat where the powder is fluidized by air and are used in many thick film applications.

Thermosetting powder coatings are based on lower molecular weight solid resins and melt when exposed to heat. After they flow into a uniform thin layer, however, they chemically cross-link within themselves or with other reactive components to form a reaction product of much higher molecular weight. These newly formed materials are heat stable and, unlike the thermoplastic products after curing, will not soften back to the liquid phase when heated. Thermosetting powders are derived from three generic types of resins: epoxy, polyester and acrylic. From these resin types, several coating systems are derived. Resins used in thermosetting powders can be ground into fine particles necessary for spray application and a thin film finish. Most of the technological advancements in recent years have been with thermosetting powders.

Hi brad002, Among the available powder coating generics, only Pure Polyester powders have the property to resist change in chemistry or form & best suited for making of a paint system that is exposed to outdoor weathering. In our powder coating shop, i have seen that pure polyester powder coated components resist UV radiation & moisture & do not promote chalking & hence retain better colour & finish. Good Luck. Rangasamy