Powdertech Surface Science was a pioneer in the powder coating industry when it became the first site in the UK to implement only chromate-free pre-treatments in 2001.
“We switched to using TiZr passivation nearly 23 years before the ban of hexavalent chromate/chromium trioxide by (hse.gov.uk) and we’ve seen a marked increase in enquiries for our Titanium Zirconium (TiZr) passivation process for aluminium followed by the ban” says Jimmy Phillips, Marketing and Sales Manager “and we have had over 20 years to optimise the process to gain the best results for our customers and the alloys they use.”
TiZr passivation in relation to anodising
The TiZr passivation process creates a stable, protective and chemically modified ‘shield’ layer on aluminium and unlike anodising, TiZr is not reliant on intensive energy-based processes and is therefore more energy efficient than anodising. Additionally, the TiZr process requires less physical handling of the metal as the process works through a simple immersion process, without the need to earth each component.
Powdertech Surface Science uses the latest eleven-stage Gardobond® X4591 and Gardobond® X 4707 process, that is optimised, based on their years of experience. The system provides a shelf life of up to 12 months before any bonding, or coating is done on the aluminium, unlike anodising where aluminium needs to be bonded within hours to avoid contamination of the surface. Welding can be performed on metal that has been TiZr-pre-treated wherein after anodising, welding is not possible.
“New customers often want to know the levels of bond strength they can achieve after switching to TiZr passivation, and we have multiple data sources that show bonds created after TiZr passivation are at least as strong as those created after anodising” says Phillips.
Please contact Powdertech Surface Science to discuss how TiZr passivation might benefit your project. They also provide testing services and reports, to compare TiZr to other pre-treatment process you are currently using.
