Appliance Design - October 2008 - (Page 38)

COATINGS Fig. 4. Electroceramic coating does not require pretreatment conversion coatings or seals. consider potentially cost-saving alternative substrates for their particular applications. By treating substitute materials with electroceramic coatings, less expensive substrates can perform at levels meeting or exceeding the levels required by the industry. (See Fig. 2.) By using less dense materials — such as aluminum versus brass — manufacturers can potentially reduce the weight of individual parts and of the final assembly. Through material substitution — for example using aluminized steel in place of stainless steel, manufacturers can reduce overall materials costs without sacrificing performance or working part life. As substitute materials are readily available in the market, manufacturers minimize purchasing complexity and lower overall costs. The electroceramic coating process is much less complex than traditional surface treatment chemistries. Given that it requires fewer processing steps, electroceramic coating allows for faster process speeds and reduced processing costs. (See Fig. 3.) Compared to traditional methods such as paint finishing, anodizing or electro-coating, electroceramic coating processes require a smaller footprint in the plant, and less time to apply the coating in order to get a final finish. By reducing the necessary steps and processes to complete the electroceramic coating, manufacturers can save facility space. Electroceramic coating does not require pretreatment conversion coatings or seals. Chromate and solvents are eliminated from the surface treatment steps. The overall process is just six steps, compared to 16 steps for traditional surface treatment finishing processes. In order to apply electroceramic coating technology, parts go through the following series of steps: 1. Parts enter a cleaning stage to remove any soil contaminants found on the surface of 38 applianceDESIGN October 2008 the metal. 2. Parts go through first rinse stage. 3. Parts go through second rinse stage in preparation for the coating stage. 4. In the electroceramic coating tank, parts are charged to create a plasma field that deposits the titanium oxide coating from the solution onto the surface, creating the finished ceramic coating. 5. Parts go through one to two final rinses. 6. Parts are dried and moved to their next process in the manufacturing plant. Another virtue of the electroceramic coating is that it can be easily repaired. Performing such repair requires only that the part goes through the application process an additional time in order for the elecroceramic coating to deposit itself back on the area that was previously damaged. Unlike many traditional coatings, electroceramic coating does not have to be stripped off or sanded down prior to reprocessing. When parts undergo a subsequent application, the functional coating that is applied builds itself on the area that is bare and evens itself out to a uniform layer with the original deposited coating. Electroceramic coatings provide a surface that is ready to be painted, bonded to, and finish coated. The final surface is thousands of times harder than paint, yet is as flexible as paint. While the coating is inherently a final finish, electroceramic coating can accept most paints for improved aesthetics and greater customer choice. Parts treated with electroceramic coatings require no additional primers prior to bonding with most adhesives. Once the electroceramic coating has been applied to a substrate, the part can be treated with Teflon, Kynar, and other thermal spray coatings as required by the manufacturer. < For more information, visit: www.henkelec2.com www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.elec-troninc.com http://www.elec-troninc.com http://www.henkelec2.com http://www.applianceDESIGN.com

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Appliance Design - October 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Prototyping - Materials Play the Part Prototyping - Mix & Match Motors Electronics Coatings Design Marts Association Report: AHRI Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - October 2008

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