![]() ![]() ![]() The bath will form a coating at temperatures from ambient to 115☏, although running at a slightly higher temperature will result in higher corrosion resistance, according to the company.Network and volume icons Show or Hide Icons in Tray Area (Taskbar Corner Overflow) Typical use concentration in Zirconization is 1–5%- similar to conventional iron phosphate-and the company says some users have had success with concentrations as low as 0.5%.īath pH should be maintained between 4 and 5, and adjustments can be made from any common alkaline source such as potassium, sodium, or ammonium hydroxide. The chemicals tended to be corrosive to mild steel washers, were relatively sensitive to water quality variations and resulted in parts that were susceptible to flash rusting after treatment.ĭuBois says Zirconization uses a blend of additives and accelerators to help promote rapid, tight coating formation on parts while minimizing sludge creation and flash rusting. Improvements in transition metal pretreatment formulations resulted in introduction of several phosphate-free pretreatment formulations into the market. However, using similar chemistries to treat parts produced from steel and other metals resulted in unstable baths, rusty parts and lower corrosion resistance less than iron phosphate. The company says fluoro-based acids have been used for aluminum pretreatment for decades. ![]() Zirconization is a pretreatment process that combines low-temperature cleaning technology, transition metal formulation and rinse water quality maximization to minimize the need for process heat, eliminate phosphates, reduce cleaning system maintenance and maintain or improve product quality.Īccording to developer DuBois Chemicals, transition group metal such as zirconium have chemical properties similar to chromium but do not have the environmental and worker safety issues surrounding that metal. “I’m currently working with a computer program to minimize unplanned maintenance, reduce downtime, and cut our maintenance costs,” he says. The first year, customer rejects went down 56%, so it was substantial.”Īnother lean manufacturing project just getting off the ground is a focus on preventive maintenance, according to Kelly McCabe. Then we send the coupon and a certification to the customer and record results in a database. It’s the first thing that comes off the line, and our inspectors check coating thickness, adhesion, color and other attributes. “At the start of each job, we hang a paint coupon. “It’s a home-grown program that people did on their own time, and it results in a pay increase for people who complete it,” Baer says. “Basically, it lets us know in advance how much money we’ll make if we run a job a certain way.”Īnother success is the company’s in-house inspection training program, which has been running nearly two years. “On the main line, we developed a spreadsheet that lets supervisors play ‘what-if” with racking, line speed and other process parameters,” he explains. The program has resulted in several operating improvements, according to Baer. One way AFI keeps things moving forward is with regular meetings of a steering committee, which evaluates possible projects based on input from employees. You don’t just call a meeting and say, OK, we’re going to be doing lean manufacturing now.” “We decided right away that the only way lean would work is if we could make it sustainable,” recalls process engineer Alan Baer, who spearheads AFI’s lean efforts. But settling on cleaning and pretreatment chemistry in the company’s larger washer, a fiberglass unit built in 1997, has been more difficult.Īssociated Finishing has been involved with lean manufacturing for about three years, when several managers attended a training session. The company ran standard iron phosphate for many years and still does on a three-stage belt washer. ![]() “Our customers include many of the stampers in the Twin Cities area, some OEMs and some die casters, so our parts are a real variety of castings, stampings, weldments, steel, aluminum, zinc-you name it.” Focus on PretreatmentĬoupled with the imperative to cut energy consumption, that variety of substrate materials has been one of the drivers of AFI’s continued search for a pretreatment for both painted and powder coated parts. “We run a 53-ft semi and a 24-ft straight truck to the Minneapolis area and back at least once a day,” Schreyer says. The result of these initiatives has been annual energy costs savings of 15–20% for the 34,000-sq ft shop, which also provides contract stripping services and silk screening to customers mainly from the Twin Cities area. ![]()
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