This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 3 2022.
Distek helps manufacturers make better anti-corrosion coatings in-house with an innovative technology that includes easy-to-operate, thermal diffusion galvanizing (TDG), eco-friendly coating lines and patented powder and materials.
Many manufacturers pay extra and use external coating providers instead of doing their coating in-house, which requires a unique facility, handling polluting waste and working with large quantities to make it profitable. Distek changes all this, as its solution is entirely eco-friendly, involves no hazardous materials or polluting waste. Its compact, easy-to-operate automated coating lines pay off even when it comes to small quantities. No special facilities are required.
Distek’s Anti-Corrosion Coating
Distek’s thermal-diffusion zinc coating is achieved through a TDG process and is applied in accordance with a number of standards including ASTM A1059 and BS-EN 17668:2016.
Minimal surface pre-treatment is required before coating as spots of rust, grease residue and oiling cooling agent on the component’s surface generally don’t affect the coating. All it usually takes is just going through a shot blast machine.
The process provides a consistent thickness within a range of 20-120μ, even on internal surfaces.
The vapourised zinc penetrates the surface to become integrated with the substrate material and creates a zinc-iron layer. The passivation (finishing) and top-coating processes strengthen the corrosion resistance, creating a hard, nonmagnetic weldable coating that is also flexible.
This means that in many cases components can be bent into new shapes without any damage to the coating, and they’re also compatible with a wide variety of coverings and paints.
Higher Corrosion and Abrasive Resistance
Distek’s coating method has also been proven to provide betterquality protection through stronger corrosion resistance.
Testing has shown the coating stands up to the most extreme conditions, including 3,000 hours of salt spray testing, and is 5–10 times better than the hot-dip galvanising (HDG) method.
It also offers high abrasive resistance, with micro-hardness of up to 1636HV, preventing nut seizure in stainless steel bolts.
Save Money by Bringing Coating In-House
Manufacturers can bring Distek coating lines on to their production floor, which saves both time and money.
“With our solution you can make anti-corrosion coating an integral part of your production process in-house – you can make your parts, coat them and then they’re simply ready to ship,” says Moshe Shmidov, Global Marketing and Business Development Manager, Distek.
“This can save a lot of money and hassle as you no longer need to send your components to an external supplier for coating.”
Green Credentials – Eco Friendly Coating Lines
Having been awarded the Pollution Prevention Award (MVP2) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Distek is understandably very proud of its environmental credentials.
Its entire anti-corrosion coating process is green – no wastewater, hazardous materials or polluting waste. The closed system includes a water-cleaning process that recycles the water, while its dry process ensures there are no acid or toxic elements.
The coating process also uses much less energy than other methods, as Shmidov points out.
“Take the famous HDG method. Besides its complex surface pretreatment process, this is like a big bath of high temperature zinc that you have to consistently maintain at approximately 600 degrees for small components. Our process is carried out at much lower temperatures, meaning you can just switch the machines on and off as needed, which provides significant energy savings.”
Distek – Your AntiCorrosion Coating Partner
Distek works closely with customers to plan and install its anti-corrosion coating lines, as well as provide technical support.
After discussing your company’s specific needs, its experts will plan, design and produce the most suitable coating line for your business.
“We’ll plan out the production line, build the equipment using trusted subcontractors and bring our engineers in to install it and train the staff on how to use it. Then, during the lifetime of the line, we supply the required materials and provide technical support,” says Shmidov.
Providing an attractive cost-benefit ratio and a superior anti-corrosion solution, it’s easy to see why Distek has been chosen by dozens of clients around the world.
