Corrosion causes immense damage every year in many industry sectors. Therefore an advanced corrosion protection system offers great potential for cost savings to end users and can help to avoid finishing problems for paint shops. With its new Alesta® ZeroZinc primer DuPont CoatingSolutions has developed an anti-corrosion powder coating system that combines high quality protection in the most severe climatic and environmental conditions with greater environmental safety.

Owing to the high cost to which corrosion of steel can lead, effective protection has become a competitive factor for paint shops. On the other hand, a high degree of environmental friendliness is required by the customers. The flaw in most existing technologies is that they are either highly protective or sustainable. The new Alesta® ZeroZinc from DuPont CoatingSolutions puts an end to this unsatisfactory situation. In combination with a correct substrate preparation, the use of this innovative anti-corrosion powder system can avoid frequent maintenance or premature replacement of otherwise serviceable parts. This results in significant cost savings for end users and a competitive advantage for paint shops.

Best-in-class properties for durable corrosion protection in all conditions

The Alesta® ZeroZinc new generation of zinc-free anti-corrosion epoxy primer has been developed to protect ferrous metals against corrosion in a wide range of environments. This ranges from the interior of heated buildings to the most aggressive external conditions, for example industrial areas with high levels of humidity and pollution. In the construction industry these environments are often classified from C1 to C5-I according to ISO 12944. The primer also has a remarkable resistance to chemicals.
To achieve these characteristics the Alesta® ZeroZinc powder coating system is formulated using High Density Crosslinking (HDC) technology. On the one hand, this strengthens the barrier effect of the primer, to create a completely sealed coating that isolates the steel from its environment and provides durable corrosion protection even under the most severe conditions, for a period of at least 15 years. On the other hand, the protective layer features excellent flexibility and impact resistance as well as outstanding adhesion properties.

The environmentally friendly choice

Conventional zinc-based product formulations are commonly labelled as Xi: "irritant" and N: "dangerous for the environment". Not so the new Alesta® ZeroZinc primer: this cutting edge solution doesn’t contain zinc or any heavy metals. Therefore it is the ideal product to satisfy the environmental legislation, which is demanding the use of zinc by applicators be replaced over a very short term. The primer is also easily recyclable.

Technical and economical advantages

Besides its high level of corrosion protection and environmental-friendliness, Alesta® ZeroZinc primer displays a low density, which leads to easier application and recycling. Additionally, it improves efficiency as more square meters per kilo can be coated. Due to the low curing temperature of only 140°C and the short curing time (2 minutes), this new powder coating system enables energy savings and a higher throughput. The protective layer is, without sanding or any other preparation, easily overcoatable with powder and liquid topcoats within 12 hours. Excellent topcoat flow and a smooth glossy finish are achieved by means of the very good hold-out of Alesta® ZeroZinc. Another asset of the zinc-free powder coating primer is that it has less of the abrasiveness that leads to minor wear on equipment, e.g. venturi, gun parts, electrodes, and so on.

Wide range of applications

With its optimised properties, Alesta® ZeroZinc is able to replace existing zinc-containing and zinc-free anti-corrosion primers. Whether it is in general construction such as metal structures, urban furniture and iron work or in the transportation industry for example industrial machinery, agriculture equipment, chassis, and so on – Alesta® ZeroZinc fits all applications.

For Information:
Markus Koenigs
DuPont CoatingSolutions
Horbellerstrasse 15
50858 Cologne, Germany
Tel. +49.2234.6019-3080
E-mail: Markus.koenigs@deu.dupont.com
www.coatingsolutions.dupont.com