Sustainable and economical surface treatments for aluminum from Henkel
The focus of Henkel Adhesive Technologies' portfolio of surface treatments at the Aluminium 2022 trade show was on high-quality, high-performance solutions that reduce the carbon footprint and water and energy consumption in the long term.
Henkel Adhesive Technologies presented its surface treatments for aluminum at the Aluminium 2022 trade show as one of the world's leading experts in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. These include light metal pretreatment, electroceramic coating, battery treatments and the anodizing process. The goal of these technologies: to improve the properties of the material, significantly increasing its performance and service life. This is particularly important given the increasing demand for the sustainable use of recycled aluminum alloys in the fields of e-mobility, sports and leisure, urbanization and architecture. The challenge here is to keep the quality of the end product constant. "Under the motto 'Rethink the Future', we want to initiate a rethink in the industry: How can we, as experts in surface treatments, contribute to saving water, CO2 and energy? By developing sustainable solutions for sustainable applications that also require fewer process steps and save costs in the long term," says Raul Hernandez, Senior European Technical Manager GI Light Metal Finishing at Henkel.
One example is Bonderite M-NT 2040 R2: the conversion coating for aluminum replaces chrome VI products or traditional alternative pretreatment systems - even under the most difficult working conditions such as long exposure times or high temperatures. "The pretreatment of aluminum housings offers a lot of potential to increase the handling and efficiency of e-mobility batteries," said Julien Bardin, Technical Manager Functional Coatings Electrical Vehicles at Henkel. "Bonderite M-NT 2040 R2 increases the corrosion resistance of the parts and provides a better welding result - the quality improvement is 95 percent compared to 60 percent for untreated aluminum components." The product meets QUALICOAT and REACH standards, which also makes it much safer for workers on production lines. A mini version of a battery housing and a bicycle control box at Henkel's booth exemplify how the right metal pretreatment processes meet various architectural, OEM and industry standards.