Corrosion Protection for Galvanized Steel Used in Appliance Manufacturing

For 70 years the standard practice to protect metal from corrosion was to coat it with zinc, and heavier zinc coatings were used to provide longer protection. This was the standard practice throughout the metal fabrication industry until Chemcoaters Inc. (Gary, IN), a coil coater and manufacturer of proprietary coating chemistries, introduced InterCoat® ChemGuard corrosion protection for galvanized steel used in household appliances and other industries. This compound uses a new type of coating technology that utilizes covalent bonds and enhances the effectiveness of zinc and substantially improves corrosion protection on galvanized steel. This coating technology reacts with the zinc to form a permanent, covalent bond on the surface of the metal. The compound is applied over a light layer of zinc, which reacts with the zinc to dramatically improve its corrosion protection properties. The bond is formed at the molecular level and it cannot be washed or worn off.

Because of this revolutionary process, InterCoat ChemGuard continues to protect during bending, stamping, welding, post-painting and even shearing of the steel. With a low coefficient of friction, it actually enhances these processes. It also provides self-healing characteristics that help protect newly exposed zinc that naturally occurs during secondary processing. The compound is designed to be applied on the galvanize line or in custom formulas developed by the original coil coater and developer of this unique technology. It offers significant cost savings because it allows for lighter zinc to form the bond and reduces the need for zinc coatings heavier than G30 that are used in many applications on the market today. It also eliminates the need for temporary corrosion protection coatings often used in shipping and materials storage, including hexavalent chrome, a known carcinogen.

“G40 hot dip galvanized with this coating technology will substantially outperform G235 and offer a much lower overall cost,” stated Mike Tieri, the vice president of sales and marketing at Chemcoaters. “For 16 ga coil (0.056 specifically), the zinc coating to a G30 thickness is currently adding $1.90 cwt. By contrast, G235 thickness zinc coating is $11.10 cwt. To apply Intercoat ChemGuard to G30 is no more than $4.00 cwt, so the economics are unquestionable. Since G30 is commercially available from many more sources, it means service centers, OEMs and processors can use a lighter and obviously less expensive zinc coating thickness, have a metal product that is considerably easier to form and shape, reduce SKUs, increase inventory turns, increase corrosion resistance (see graphic) and save money immediately. It doesn’t get much better.”

Tieri noted that this example is not always applicable, given the size of the coils supplied to Chemcoaters, and added that InterCoat ChemGuard can also remain bare, be painted or welded, plus it’s RoHS compliant and can even be tinted in a spectrum of colorations.

Chemcoaters, Inc., 700 Chase Street, Gary, IN 46404, 877-411-2905, miket@chemcoaters.com, www.chemcoaters.com.