A chromate conversion coating is sometimes called an Alodine coating. Most of the time, it’s found in applications using steel. By putting a coating on the steel workpiece, it passivates it. You may use the same principles to passivate other alloys, such as zinc and aluminum.
What Is a Chromate Conversion Coating?
There are two reasons manufacturers use this process on their workpieces. Once you’ve put the coating on there, it acts as a corrosion inhibitor. So, your products won’t corrode as fast, prolonging their utility. That’s why so many companies have been implementing this tech in production lines. After doing that, they waste much less material and see improvements to output.
Type II Class 1A
As with many industrial processes, there’s more than one type of chromate coating. If you’re concerned about corrosion, then a class 1A coating would be most effective. It won’t corrode much as long as you’ve applied it to the metal early. Plus, the coat is almost completely transparent; thus, you can avoid using paint. If you’d rather avoid using powdered paint, this can be useful.
Type II Class 3
Some applications call for coats that focus on lowering electrical resistance. If you’re working on something like this, a class 3 coating would be more effective. Putting this on aluminum parts can prevent them from losing conductivity, too.
