As more electronics equipment manufacturers move beyond plastic to magnesium to make cell phones and laptop computers lighter and more durable, powder coating provides the high-end finish that consumers have come to expect while contributing to the external durability of the product.

For Applied Coating Technology, Inc., a custom coater located in Minneapolis, the new high-tech role for powder coating offers the potential for new product lines.

"Magnesium has been a big area of growth for us," said Mike Meagher, ACT's vice president of manufacturing and engineering. Since ACT took its first magnesium job three years ago coating laptop computers, the orders have continued coming in. Bar code scanners for use in parcel delivery have already moved from plastic to magnesium. Cell phone manufacturers are finding that magnesium offers a lighter phone with a more stable frame.

Seattle-based Itonics, Inc. was ACT's first partner in magnesium three years ago. The company manufactures laptop computers for clients who use them in service on the road, including Sears' service technicians and A T &T' s diagnostic teams. "Itonics makes a water-tight laptop that the technician can throw on the front seat of his van, and that will fall off the seat onto the floor," said Meagher. The laptop, fitted with a rubbered armor boot to absorb the daily impact of life on the road, relies on powder coating for abrasion resistance as it jolts and bounces from job to job.