Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Phosphate Free Pretreatment Chemicals
March 7, 2013
Q. Hi, I am an outsider to the industry and researching the pre-treatment/surface treatment chemical industry for a work project. I have come across 3 companies in this area (Henkel, Chemetall, and Nihon Parkerizing). Henkel has a phosphate free product called Bonderite NT-1, which they say is a next generation technology as its phosphate free and lowers manufacturing costs. The technology is based on nano-ceramics. Can anyone provide me with their thoughts on this technology? For example, how new is this technology, how commercially viable is it, and is Henkel the only one with this capability?
Also, does anyone have any thoughts on Nihon Parkerizing (leader in Japan) in terms of how strong their technology is? Do they also have phosphate free treatment chemicals?
Thank you.
- Chicago, Illinois
A. Hi Eric. All of the major suppliers to the pretreatment industry have phosphate-free technologies and nano technologies, and there are many others besides the ones you list. Unfortunately "nano" has become a buzzword which often no longer means what it once implied (the emergence of unforeseen special properties which don't present themselves in mass processing). There are also companies which do competitive market analysis and can answer questions about the market penetration in different sectors by various companies.
Comparing the offerings of one company to another unfortunately doesn't suit this forum well because many posters are unknown to any of us, and when there is commercial gain available, we sometimes see postings from "satisfied users", with the IP address revealing that they were actually posted by the company which was recommended. Also, this site can only exist courtesy of supporting advertisers and it is impossible to find any who will support discussions which steer potential customers towards their competitors.
Please demand studies proving 10-15 year usefulness in a salt-air environment! The world is unsustainably drowning under corroding metal garbage which was improperly finished, and the last thing the earth needs is to continue on this path of manufacturing a ton of metal which will quickly corrode, in the name of saving an ounce of phosphate. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March , 2013
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