Process for producing powder paint particles from liquid paint ii

Abstract

A process for producing powder paint particles, particularly metal-flake containing powder paint particles, which comprises contacting the exposed surface of an aqueous saline solution in continuous movement through a spreading and extraction zone into a collection zone with a liquid dispersion of said organic paint binder, said metal flakes and an organic solvent miscible with said saline solution wherein said liquid dispersion floats on said surface for a time sufficient to admit of its spreading on said surface extraction of organic solvent from the floating liquid paint dispersion into said saline solution, and solidification of said paint binder on said surface into plate-like solids containing metal flakes with said spreading and extraction zone, and movement of said saline solution and floating plate-like solids into said collection zone wherein said plate-like solids are broken into smaller particles and recovered. In the preferred embodiment, the plate-like solids pass with the saline solution into a collection zone wherein the breaking up of plate-like solids is effected at least in part by agitation of the saline solution. In the preferred embodiment, the liquid paint dispersion is applied to the surface of the saline solution in the form of discrete droplets and said saline solution contains between about 3 and about 15 weight percent salt. The paint binder-coated metal flakes and particles which do not contain metal flakes are both suitable for use in powder paints.