Electrocoat finisher gains flexibility with zinc phosphate coating system

Chemetall

Situation

JEMS Coating is a provider of electrocoat finishing for customer-supplied metallic components used in automotive, electrical, construction, recreational, and general commercial applications.

The finisher’s focus is high-volume automotive production, and it has acquired OEM process approvals for automotive manufacturers such as GM, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and VW.

“Our process flow features a seven-stage zinc phosphate pretreatment with a choice of immersion or spray, depending on the parts to be e-coated,” said Robert German, majority owner. And, of course, the company’s success depends on production that is reliable, reproducible, and cost-effective.

“For years we have electrocoated most parts flawlessly, with systems in place to ensure this,” German continued. “However, as a job shop, we face periodic setbacks tying into the variability presented by the lubricants and substrates of some of our customers’ product.”

Resolution

JEMS Coating contacted Chemetall for assistance.

“We began the troubleshooting process by sending an assortment of parts back to our laboratories for process simulation and defect analysis,” explained Marino Zoratti, Chemetall’s senior technical sales manager for Ontario. “Our experts also reviewed every step of the electrocoating process at JEMS Coating.”

After this analysis, Chemtall recommended the Gardobond® system. The Gardo® line uses advanced pretreatment products and synchronized process steps to provide automotive-quality zinc phosphate coating on all substrates. This multimetal capability, with a focus on aluminum, made the customizable system an appropriate choice for JEMS.

“Our Gardobond 24 process was developed to better engineer zinc phosphate processes to meet the ever-changing market demands,” said William Jones, technical service manager for Canada. “The key is the versatility of the solution we are able to offer JEMS Coating, as a job shop, so they can handle a variety of jobs efficiently.”

“We granted Chemetall a one-week trial in February of 2018 on our immersion line,” said German. “The quality improvements and cost efficiencies were striking. We no longer needed several additives. Further, the initial conversion itself was timely and flawless, an incredibly smooth and successful process. Chemetall experts, working closely with our experts, really came together with care and attention to deliver a safe and effective changeover.”

The Gardobond 24 process now has been further enhanced to become Gardo® Flex, which allows for high throughput on all substrates, with an emphasis on aluminum and new substrates like zinc manganese. It imparts a zinc phosphate layer that provides corrosion protection and paint adhesion properties, while its low-temperature processes and reduced phosphate sludge help decrease energy and maintenance costs.

JEMS Coating also is able to use Chemetall’s proprietary Gardometer® to measure zinc and manganese phosphate coatings on steel, galvanized, and aluminum sheet. It replaces ASTM and ISO weigh-strip-weigh with a simplified, automatic, digital option that eliminates chemical waste, requires no technician, and provides instant results.

Chemetall, chemetallna.com