Iron and zinc phosphating processes have been around for longer than many finishing professionals have been alive, and the reactions and bonding properties of these technologies are well understood. These processes require significant heat, generate tremendous sludge and can be a maintenance nightmare. A new phosphonate-based enhanced performance pretreatment (EPP) can be used at ambient temperatures to improve coating adhesion while providing considerable energy, water and labor saving
After running the EPP process for about 12 months, the Roper facility decided to calculate its savings in making the switch. Data had been collected over the past year of operation and compared to the average operational costs over the past several years when the traditional iron phosphate process was used. The cost savings were calculated using GE’s Ecomagination certification process. This process requires everything claimed as a cost reduction to be documented and approved by an independent auditor. The cost savings are summarized in Table 1.
The first and largest savings realized by the Roper facility was a reduction in natural gas usage. In the past, Roper heated its iron phosphate bath using direct steam injection, which consumed a tremendous amount of steam. By turning the heat off in its pretreatment stage, Roper was able to turn off one of its boilers. The natural gas consumed by the boiler the plant shut down cost $100,000 annually. In addition to the natural gas savings, the plant eliminated 13.9 million ft3 of green house gas emissions per year.*