Non-stick Cookware Coatings: Turning regulatory change into a manufacturing opportunity
Let’s talk about your projectSpray PFAS-free coating inside and outside of cookware (pans, stoves, …) with non-electrostatic rotary bell.
Save up to 40% of paint, 30% of cycle time and obtain better finishing quality with Sames robotic non-electrostatic rotary bell spraying.
Description
The cookware industry is undergoing a major transformation. Historically, non-stick coatings for frying pans and casseroles have relied on fluoropolymer technologies containing PFAS compounds. As environmental concerns, consumer expectations, and regulatory developments accelerate the transition toward PFAS-free alternatives, manufacturers are being required to requalify coating materials, processes, and product performance.
This transition creates more than a compliance challenge. It is also a strategic opportunity to reassess the entire coating operation. Whether upgrading from manual spraying to automation, introducing robotics, or replacing conventional spray guns with more efficient application technologies, manufacturers can improve productivity, quality, and material utilization while implementing their new coating systems.
Several PFAS-free technologies are now emerging, including silica-based coatings, liquid ceramic coatings, and systems with or a final sol-gel layer. Each solution introduces specific application requirements that must be carefully controlled to ensure coating performance and appearance.
To support this evolution, Sames has evaluated bell spraying technology for cookware applications. Thanks to its circular spray pattern, bell technology is particularly well suited to cookware geometries. Non-electrostatic rotary bell Nanobell 801 equipped with an EC35NW bell cup demonstrated highly homogeneous coating application, excellent thickness consistency, and the ability to create bi-tone designs without masking operations. In addition, this bell option showed potential transfer efficiency improvements up to +40% compared with conventional airspray guns, offering substantial opportunities for material savings and process optimization.
Related products
Main benefits
Accelerate your PFAS-Free Transition
Modernize production during requalification
Increase transfer efficiency up to 40%
Realize biton coating easily without masking
Non-Stick Cookware Coatings FAQ
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What PFAS-free coating alternatives are available today?
The transition away from PFAS-based non-stick coatings is driving the adoption of several alternative technologies, each offering a different balance of release performance, durability, cost, and processability.Today, the most common PFAS-free solutions for cookware include:Silica-based sol-gel coatings, which create a hard, glass-like surface derived from silicon compounds and are widely used as a fluoropolymer-free non-stick technology.Ceramic non-stick coatings, often based on sol-gel chemistry, offering good food-release properties without PTFE or PFAS compounds.Multi-layer hybrid systems, combining primers, functional intermediate layers, and reinforced ceramic or mineral-rich topcoats to improve durability and abrasion resistance. These systems may include an additional sol-gel finishing layer depending on performance targets.While PFAS-free technologies have made significant progress, manufacturers must carefully select the coating system according to their requirements for non-stick performance, scratch resistance, heat resistance, expected service life, and production cost. In most cases, moving to a PFAS-free coating requires a complete requalification of both the coating material and the application process.For this reason, coating application expertise is becoming increasingly important. Optimizing atomization quality, film build uniformity, curing conditions, and transfer efficiency can help manufacturers maximize the performance of the new generation of PFAS-free coatings while controlling operating costs. -
Why is non-electrostatic bell spraying well suited for cookware applications?
Traditionally, cookware often requires two different coatings: a non-stick coating on the interior surface and a decorative or protective coating on the exterior surface. In this configuration, electrostatic spraying can become less advantageous. While electrostatic technology is generally valued for its wrap-around effect, which helps paint reach hidden areas, this same effect can lead to unwanted coating deposition between the inside and outside surfaces of cookware.
Non-electrostatic bell spraying eliminates this wrap-around effect, allowing a much more targeted application. This makes it easier to coat the interior and exterior surfaces separately, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and helping manufacturers achieve sharp transitions between coating zones, including bi-tone designs without masking operations.
In addition, the circular spray pattern generated by the bell is naturally aligned with the geometry of frying pans, casseroles, and similar cookware. This results in highly uniform film thickness, excellent coating homogeneity, and reduced overspray. The outcome is a more efficient coating process, improved product quality, and significant material savings compared with conventional airspray gun technology.
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Is there a contamination risk when introducing silica-based coatings into an existing paint line? Isn't it like silicone?
Unlike silicone oils and silicone-based contaminants, which are notorious for causing fisheyes, craters, and pinholes even at trace levels, silica-based and sol-gel cookware coatings do not typically present the same contamination risk. The silica network formed during curing is not mobile or surface-active in the way silicone oils are, making long-term paint shop contamination much less of a concern.However, some formulations may contain silane or silicone-derived additives whose compatibility should be carefully evaluated.As coating formulations vary significantly between suppliers, the final assessment should always be obtained from the coating material manufacturer. They are best positioned to confirm whether the product contains any silicone-based additives and to identify any specific compatibility, contamination, or process requirements for your existing coating line.