Surface treatment is used to increase the efficiency of all powder and wet paints, as well as metal coating processes.
If surface treatment is applied correctly to the product, it increases the product's resistance to corrosion and enhances the adhesion capability of the coating material to the surface. If the surface treatment is not done properly, no matter how good the paint or coating is, materials such as oil, rust, grease, oxide layers, etc., that prevent full contact on the surface will hinder the adhesion of the coating material to the surface.
What is the Degreasing Process?
The degreasing process is the first and most important process used in surface treatments. Oil is applied to the surfaces of metals to prevent their reaction with air. This oil prevents processes such as painting, phosphating, and chromating from being carried out on the metal.
In degreasing processes, acidic, alkaline, and neutral degreasing chemicals are used. Alkaline degreasing chemicals are used in hot environments. A processing time of 5-10 minutes at temperatures between 60-95 °C with a concentration of 3-10% will be sufficient for the degreasing process. Acidic degreasing can work in cold environments, but its efficiency will increase if it works hot. This type of degreasing can remove not only the oil present on the metal but also rust and scale. Neutral degreasers are generally used in spray iron phosphating baths. At low concentrations, the iron phosphating operation can be applied at the working temperature.
Whether there is any oil left on a metal part is most easily understood in rinsing baths. If water droplets are visibly left on the rinsed parts, it means that the oil has not been completely removed from the metal. In such cases, the degreasing process is repeated until the contaminants on the product are cleaned.
The Importance of Raw Water in Process Baths for Surface Chemical Treatments
It is important to use pure and soft water according to the type of surface treatment chemicals to be used in the main and rinsing baths in these processes. The most important issue to pay attention to for the correct application of surface treatment on the metal surface is that the water to be used when setting up the main baths (degreasing, phosphate, chrome, nickel, etc. heavy metal-containing baths) should be pure water or close to pure water. The reason for this is that the concentrations in the baths are sensitive, and the presence of impurities in the water can affect the process.
The impact of dissolved ions on these percentages. Improper installation or inefficient operation of baths results in surface-treated products not meeting quality standards and being returned. As a result of such incidents, companies can incur millions of TL in losses.Secondly, the issue that needs attention is either refreshing the rinse baths with overflow systems or periodically draining and replacing them. At the same time, the main chemical baths should also be drained at certain intervals and set up again at appropriate concentrations. If these processes are not carried out regularly, the product cannot be rinsed properly and, since it is not purified from chemicals, the surface treatment fails.The Importance of Wastewater Treatment and Recovery in Surface Chemical ProcessesRinse baths and main baths should be regularly replaced, and the resulting wastewater should be treated in appropriate wastewater treatment facilities. In today's world, where our need for water has significantly increased, the wastewater generated in such companies is treated in wastewater treatment plants and then reused through advanced treatment methods. This provides opportunities for both water conservation and the protection of natural water resources, as well as more frequent refreshing of the baths.Thanks to advanced treatment processes, heavy metals found in the wastewater from the baths are separated from the water and returned to the baths. Generally, these systems operate in a closed-loop cycle, and there are water losses due to backwashing. These losses are compensated by feeding from the network according to the bath requirements. If companies make investments towards advanced treatment and recovery systems, they will be able to use their existing waters in a closed-loop manner and thus achieve significant savings. Although the investments in advanced treatment may seem large in the eyes of businesses, these systems can pay for themselves within approximately 1-2 years.As Artemis Treatment Company, we have actively worked and continue to work on the design, installation, and operation of wastewater treatment plants for many surface treatment companies. Therefore, we have embarked on the path with the ZERO WASTEWATER goal, establishing wastewater treatment plants.Establishing here and in the future is among our main goals. For detailed information, you can contact our company. It is our duty to protect nature and the environment, ensuring that people live in a sustainable environment.
