Visualizing and quantifying surface processes with high space-temporal resolution during immersion

In this presentation we will show how optics hardware and software can be used to monitor surface processes during immersion with high space-temporal resolution and quantification power. In particular it will be shown how a hyphenated optical-electrochemical technique and image analysis protocol is used to quantify global and local (intermetallic) corrosion process and kinetics in the case of aluminium alloy 2024. Our findings reveal an early stage (< 60 s) composition-dependent hierarchical local activation of all IMs that can be attributed to IM dealloying. This is followed by ocal trenching initiated at matrix locations adjacent to regions of the IMs previously dealloyed, which in turn develop into concentric trenching around the IMs once dealloying is complete. These stages have quantifiable activation times and kinetics.

While dealloying kinetics are found to be strongly dependent on IM composition, trenching kinetics are not. The results suggest a robust setup and protocol that can be used to monitor and quantify processes occurring during immersion but also that this information can be used to better study how degradation and corrosion inhibition works.

Architectural Powder Coatings with added properties: Close look to Interpon D with improved performance

Coatings with added properties under Interpon D will be presented using latest developments in product technologies. Added property can come in mechanical performance benefits such as mar-scratch resistance improvement (Interpon D X-Pro), improved flexibility (Interpon D2525 Flex), slip resistance (Interpon D Texture ISR) or might bring surfaces to life with anti-microbial efficacy (Interpon D AM) or low-gloss (Interpon D2015 Precis Ultra Matt).

Keywords: Anti-microbial, mar-resistant, flexible, anti-slip, low-gloss

Latest Advances in Aluminium Colouring: Gray Anodizing

Since early 80's when we found the first electrolytic colouring technologies in the anodized aluminum market, advance has not stopped.

Advancing to cover one of the clearly differentiating points between anodizing and powder coating of aluminum: The possibility of choosing a wide range of colors.

In this lecture we will go through the different existing colouring technologies and we will present as innovation a new process capable of reproducibly and accurately obtaining a wide range of gray colors for anodized aluminum.

QUALANOD Colour measurement

Anodizing is a sustainable way of treating aluminum because anodized aluminum lasts a long time and stays beautiful for a long time. QUALANOD is a quality system for anodizing. The problem is, however, that there are many parameters that influence the color, and therefore the reproducibility of the color (also with natural anodising) is an issue. Many warranty cases concern the color and color differences.

The Dutch working group QUALANOD has initiated various studies. The subject of "color" has now also become a regular item on the QUALANOD International agenda. In this presentation we will update you on the state of affairs and what still needs to be done.

The visible hand in trade

An overview of laser-based functionalization of surfaces

Laser-microtextured surfaces have gained an increasing interest due to their enormous spectrum of applications and industrial scalability. Especially, superhydrophobic surfaces, where a water droplet cannot adhere to a surface, have attracted the attention of the scientific community and industrial sector due to their closely related ice-repellent, self-cleaning, and corrosion-inhibiting properties.

In particular, laser based fabrication methods have shown to be suitable for the fabrication of hierarchical (or multi-scale) textures. These kind of topographies are typical in several natural examples such as the lotus leave, which are very well-known for their outstanding repellence to water.

In this presentation, Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) and Direct Laser Writing (DLW) methods are used to produce complex periodic structures on aluminium alloys. Depending on the process parameters, structures with feature sizes ranging from ~ 800 nm to 50 µm were obtained. The influence of the laser processing parameters, such as the applied laser fluence and the number of pulses, on the resulting topography was analyzed by confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The static long-term measurement over a period of 30 days and again after 80 days as well as the dynamic wettability characteristics of the laser-textured surfaces were determined through water contact angle and hysteresis measurements, revealing superhydrophobic properties with static contact angles up to 163° and hysteresis as low as 9°. Finally, self-cleaning tests are also reported.

Prediction of Corrosion of Al making use of multiscale modelling

In the advanced materials industry, there is a clear trend towards more sustainable concepts, and this is certainly also the case for metals. Nowadays, metals are developed for providing components with a typical lifetime ranging from 10 to 25 years. The lifetime of a metal highly depends on its exposure to the environment inducing ageing processes. In the current state of the art, lifetime and ageing assessment are performed by means of experiments, combining accelerated and field testing. The limitation of the first is that the conditions of the accelerated tests are not representative for the real environmental conditions and that there is no proven relationship between accelerated laboratory tests and field performance data. The limitation of the second is that it takes several years (5 to 10 years).

The long term scientific motivation of our research is to build a knowledge and technology platform to enable the prediction of durability behaviour and the estimation of lifetime of (organic coated) metals under long-term environmental ageing and corrosion conditions. This requires advanced research because corrosion of a (organic coated) metal is the result of an intense interplay between several physical phenomena that need to be characterized in real conditions and modelled. Within VUB and TUDelft research we try to focus on both aspects bringing in new advanced combined electrochemical & in situ surface analysis, advanced finite element electrochemical modelling and more recently quantum chemical modelling.

At the end of the presentation the recently started Horizon 2020 project VIPCOAT “ will be introduced. Twelve partners from seven countries have united to make the development and production of corrosion protection technologies more sustainable, economical and faster. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon is coordinating the project. The European Union is funding VIPCOAT (https://ms.hereon.de/vipcoat/) within the Horizon 2020 program, specifically for the area of “Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing” (NMBP), over four years. The project has been started on May 1st, 2021. The goal of the EU-funded VIPCOAT project is to create an open innovation platform that should assist engineers in developing coating materials and constructing accelerated life test scenarios to assess their durability. Initially, the platform will target the aeronautic industry. However, it will later host interoperable applications, based on standardized ontologies as extensions of the European Materials Modelling Ontology that should enable to transfer methods and insights to other industries. The VIPCOAT platform will open the door to new production concepts with reduced process steps, lower energy consumption and reduced use of natural resources. Supporting modelling, the platform should also promote the development of green, cheap and efficient coatings that inhibit corrosion.

Acknowledgements: all VUB-SURF and TUDELFT-CTE colleagues for the excellent collaborations.

Update on latest market trends in architectural powder coatings

Axalta Coating Solution is the second global supplier of powder coatings, based on our knowledge on the market we are updating the trends on architectural powder coatings market presented in the ESTAL congress in 2017.

World is changing so fast, sustainability is becoming one of the most important topics in everything we do, we are going to explain how sustainability is impacting on the powder coatings market and on the other hand what are the trends in terms of colour and finishes. We will talk about the most popular finishes and also what we see as the trends for the coming years. We will also give information regarding classification of powder coatings containing TiO2.

Resolving Issues during Pretreatment of High Alloyed and Secondary Aluminum by Principles of Chemical Machining

Can Akyil^1,2, Pınar Afsin^1,2, Güney Akdas^1,2, Ali Yücel Sönmez^1,2 and Mustafa Urgen¹

¹ Istanbul Technical University, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul -TR

² Coventya TR

In many industries, the use of high alloyed wrought aluminum parts, including 2XXX or 7XXX series alloys as well as secondary aluminum, is currently a trend increasingly being more prominent. Specifically, for vehicle applications, the movement to shift from higher weight components to lower weight options with a drive for providing E-Mobility for reduction in weight without loss of strength, is supporting the trend.

In many industries, the use of high alloyed wrought aluminum parts, including 2XXX or 7XXX series alloys as well as secondary aluminum, is currently a trend increasingly being more prominent. Specifically, for vehicle applications, the movement to shift from higher weight components to lower weight options with a drive for providing E-Mobility for reduction in weight without loss of strength, is supporting the trend.

Several solutions have been proposed with a similar principle to the pretreatment cycles designed for chemically milling 3D printed parts to overcome these problems while avoiding any concerns. A number of etching and nitric free brightening alternatives have been carried out to achieve the desired surface finish with the right surface gloss.

Taking this approach, the Aluminum pretreatment cycle is not only set up to modify the surface roughness, which impacts partly the surface gloss, hence only changing the esthetics of the surface but can also be used to alter to surface chemical composition. By considering this different approach and utilizing the dissimilarities of chemical inertness of these allying elements, the negative effect of the allying elements on the overall performance of coating system can be limited.

As an example demonstrated in this study, by investigating how alloying elements in different alloys respond to traditional alkaline etching and deoxidizing compared to a new chemistry or “conditioning” approach that better focuses on etching benefits of the alloy elements, instead of simply removing their smuts from the surface can offer many advantages.

etching cycles are considered in this study, to demonstrate improvements of the surface properties in terms of both functional and cosmetic aspects. This work is carried out in comparison with non-conditioned surfaces to demonstrate the differences that come out. The data for the investigation includes Scanning Electron Microscopy, Optical Microscopy, and 3D Surface Profilometry to demonstrate the impact on visual-aesthetical appearance.

Toxicity in chemical specialties for aluminium metal pretreatment, so dynamic and challenging

During the last years we had seen how the chemical specialties for Aluminum Metal pretreatment had been facing several challenges. Starting many years ago with the Cr VI products, which still being used in some industrial applications, till Free fluoride content in the acid deoxidizers products. In between, we also saw how other raw materials are under discussion; Nickel, Boron, Nitric acid for other applications…

All those changes are clearly aligned with a sustainability target in order to protect the environment promoting the best available technology for aluminum metal pretreatment.

But, how is that affecting to the aluminum metal pretreatment processes? Clearly the products that we are using have to be aligned with toxic labelling rules, but also clear that final goods have to fulfil the stablished quality standards.

n this presentation we will explore the changes in some of the traditional chemical products used in the aluminum metal pretreatment process, how the products had been adapted, and also, how final user also can adapt their processes.

Lessons learned during the review of the new STS-BREF

The new STS BREF (STS = Surface Treatment using Solvents) was published in the autumn of 2020. This document contains the emission limits for a range of industries including automotive manufacturing, coil coating, printing, and packaging. These limits cover both emissions to air and emissions to water; the new limits are significantly lower than those that were included in the original STS BREF published in 2008. They, therefore, represent a considerable challenge to industry; some companies will need to invest in new abatement technologies in the next 4 years in order to obtain the appropriate licence to operate.

The European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) participated in the long (5 years) process to develop the new BREF and this presentation reviews the process and puts forward suggestions on how best to engage with, and influence, the new STM BREF (STM = Surface Treatment of Metals). The BREF process is a lengthy, multi-stakeholder process that requires the provision of accurate and representative industrial information to support the decision-making process. It is essential that the aluminium industry organises itself properly to engage with the STM BREF as the decisions that are made during this process could have significant implications for operators in the coming decade.

Next level customer servicing #industry4.0 & green product solutions

Chemetall, the Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF's Coatings division, has always been a pioneer in innovative technologies, and following this tradition, it continuously aims to provide sustainable process solutions by taking a proactive approach to water and energy conservation and reduce waste production, thus decreasing operational costs

During the Covid-19 pandemic, all of us were faced with travel limitations and further restrictions which led us to explore alternative solutions to support our customers. Since March 2020, we have significantly enhanced our digital capabilities to support you with better, faster, and more flexible solutions.

#industry4.0 – what’s in for you?

We have introduced a new service approach, offering customized digital solutions, providing to remote assistance with HoloLens to its customer. Chemetall’s expertise is now quickly accessible to customers at any point in time. With HoloLens, technicians can work hands-free and connect in real-time with Chemetall experts.

In this presentation, we invite you to take a closer look into our capabilities, our innovation strength, new digital service approaches, and Chemetall’s sustainable product portfolio to support your success.

Powder coating plants Eurovertical 5.0

Innovative technology, resource efficient, sustainable.

EUROIMPIANTI COMPANY HISTORY

EUROVERTICAL LINES

VERTICAL LINE mod. “SPEED-UP”

5 LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS:

• LASER PAINT STRIPPING EQUIPMENT
• AUTOMATIC UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR LARGE PROFILES DIMENSIONS
• NEBULIZATION AT PASSIVATION STAGE, RINSING SYSTEM DURING PRODUCTION STOPS
• WASTE HEAT RECOVERY IN THE OVENS
• NEW GENERATION COATING BOOTH

Will Recycled Aluminium Cause Coating Issues?

Recycling of aluminium holds the possibility to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of aluminium production, but is frowned upon by many companies because of the fear of lower quality products. It is true that scrap metal alloys typically contain a wider spread of trace elements and purification is near to impossible. In 6060 (AlMgSi) Aluminium scrap mainly iron, zinc and copper are the increased alloying elements. They can have different influences on the pre-treatment processes which are applied before 6060 profiles become finished products. We investigated the effects of increased recycle content during the pre-treatment processes and evaluated the corrosion susceptibility of coated profiles by filiform corrosion (FFC) tests and acetic acid salt spray tests (AASS). In this series of tests we varied several parameters like etching bath chemistry, etch depth, conversion system and powder coating system within the limits of Qualicoat regulations. Thereby, we believe to show how profiles made from high quality recycled aluminium would influence the pre-treatment and coating processes of most coating companies in the near future.

Chemicals Strategy for sustainability

The presentation will focus on the current state of implementation of the EU Chemicals Strategy for sustainability adopted by the EU Commission last October 2020. There will be a focus on the CLP revision and measures affecting consumer goods.

Anodizing Basics for Aluminum Surfaces

By connecting the anodizing circuit to the mechanism of oxide growth, anodizing process strategies can be developed that target and optimize the characteristics of the AAO for various design applications. This presentation invites the participant to develop a virtual picture of the anodizing circuit in order to understand the nature and mechanism for Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) development and growth. While doing so, the connection between the substrate microstructure and the structure of the AAO is made that enables the connection between the anodizing circuit and the quality of the AAO structure. These connections make anodizing an engineering process.