Effective corrosion
protection of steel is essential. Unsatisfactory protection will result in early
replacement of components with the possibility of claims under guarantee from dissatisfied
customers. Most important is the avoidable wastage of expensive energy and raw materials.
Losses from corrosion (rust) on steel parts cost billions of pounds every year. Poor
corrosion prevention will damage the good reputation of manufacturers and their products.
Double protection
Zinc electroplating and passivation provides a double protection system for steel
components. Virtually all types of steel can be protected included castings.
Newly developed electrolytes and process methods are able to provide greatly increased
corrosion prevention.
In addition to the well known yellow full passivation, there are blue, olive and black
variants available to meet modern requirements. |
Cost-conscious users are consulting plating
experts at an early stage of planning. Advice is available on how components should be
designed for economical plating. Platers understand how zinc plating and passivation can
act as a base for organic coatings and how passivated post treatments can be used for
colour coding various components as an aid for identification.
|
|
Conversion coatings free from hexavalent chromium are now becoming available. These
process improvements offer top quality protection at the lowest possible cost.
Designers and buyers always seek the best combination of price and performance, which is
why increasing numbers of purchasers in many industries, are selecting zinc plating and
passivation.
|
|
Continuing
research has developed a wide range of sealants as well as alloy deposits. This new
technology has greatly improved performance and extended the range of finishes available.
Modern electrolytes can produce brilliant chrome like finishes. High levelling processes
will improve the surface roughness of steel services. Specially developed processes
produce improved metal distribution over complex shapes. Alloy zinc deposits offer extra
performance.
Passivation processes (also known as conversion coatings) are usually applied to zinc
deposits to improve component life. These coatings are usually based on hexavalent
chromium chemistry providing unique surface corrosion resistance which will withstand even
the most extreme conditions over prolonged periods. |
