Cleaning and coating in a single step: Henkel presents cleaner and coater technology

Henkel Adhesive Technologies has released a new white paper dedicated to a cleaner and coater technology that offers more efficient metal pretreatment in just one step. The technology enables users in the metal industry to reduce the number of process steps by half while also saving energy and water. It thus ties in with Henkel’s sustainability campaign “Respect the Planet, Rethink Design”.

Cleaning and coating steps give metal surfaces important properties such as corrosion protection and paint adhesion, thus making a key contribution to quality and performance in subsequent application. However, the cleaning and coating of metal parts – whether it be for household appliances, office furniture, heavy machinery or mechanical equipment – is associated with high water and energy requirements. This makes it more difficult for manufacturers to achieve sustainability goals such as reducing CO₂ emissions and also inflates process costs along with increasing raw material costs.

Henkel’s new white paper addresses this challenge. It shows how the conventional eight to ten process steps, as is the case with conversion processes with zinc and iron phosphate for example, can be reduced to four thanks to the latest generation of coaters. At the heart of the process developed by Henkel is Bonderite M-NT 41044, a cleaner and coater product that cleans and coats metal parts in a single step. The product can be used together with powder, wet or cataphoresis coating applications in general industry. 

In addition to illustrating the process-related and ecological advantages of the new technology, the best practices employed by household appliance manufacturer BSH Turkey demonstrate the results of combining cleaning and coating through a practical example. A checklist shows readers the savings potential that the current configuration offers their pretreatment line, as well as how they can make their production processes more sustainable and fit for the future.

“Our commitment to a sustainable metal industry is at the heart of Henkel’s business,” says Volker Mansfeld, Vice President Industry EIMEA at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Together with our customers, we are rethinking the status quo and reinventing existing processes to deliver a positive impact. This optimization process is focused on high-performance products with a responsible approach to natural resources.” 

The free white paper is available to download at https://next.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/white-papers/greater-efficiency-in-metal-pretreatment.html.