Electrogalvanising

We offer electrogalvanising, Vat plating as well and barrel plating services in Cape Town to businesses and individuals from and around the city. This service, also called zinc electroplating, gives steel the protection it requires to prevent corrosion and rusting.

This common electroplating technique involves covering metals like steel and iron by plating the metal with a zinc layer. Zinc isn’t as prone to corrosion as much as other metals, thanks to being more anodic than other metals. As a result, the zinc layer will act as a sacrificial layer that will corrode first before rust affects the metal under it.

Please note that at the moment, we only offer electroplating in the forms or vat plating and barrel plating, as part of our galvanisation process. We facilitate hot dip galvanising.

The Use of Electrogalvanisation

Electrogalvanisation, or simply galvanisation, is a popular surface treatment method for a number of reasons. It’s used in a variety of industries, including construction, automotive, electronics, and mechanical engineering, with pipes, screws, and wiring being common examples.

Zinc plating also works with most metals, ranging from steel and iron to copper and copper-based alloys.

● It’s economical

● It leaves an attractive silvery-grey finish

● Long-term corrosion protection

Types of Galvanising

While the goal of galvanising materials is to prevent corrosion, there are a variety of ways to galvanise metals. Each zinc coating offers unique performance and has unique characteristics.

Electroplating

Electroplating is the most unique method of galvanising products, capable of being applied with various metals. Currently, we only perform zinc electroplating, a process where a metallic object is coated with a thin layer of zinc using an electric current, which prompts some to call it electric galvanising.

The process involves placing the object to be coated in an electrolyte solution, along with a piece of metal for the coating. When a direct current is passed through the solution, the zinc metal ions in the electrolyte solution are attracted to the receiving metal and deposited onto its surface.

The result is electrogalvanised steel with a thin, even layer.

Zinc Barrel Plating/Barrel Zinc Plating

Zinc plating is similar to electroplating steel as they’re both electro-deposition processes. The main difference is that zinc plating is used on tiny parts like springs and fasteners, whereas it’s more common to electrogalvanise large parts, including sheets of metal.

Hot Dip Galvanising

As the name suggests, hot dip galvanising is the process of dipping a base metal into a heated bath of molten zinc. After the base metal is dipped, the zinc will bond with the surface of the receiving metal and form a protective layer that’s highly resistant to corrosion and rust.

When the sheet or part is pulled out of the bath, it reacts to being exposed to the atmosphere. The zinc will react with oxygen to form zinc oxide, which reacts to carbon dioxide to form zinc carbonate, the final protective layer. The resulting coat is thick and crystalline-like.

Just beware, though, hop-dipped galvanised coatings will peel off when used in high-temperature environments exceeding 200 °C. Components that are made up of tubing must also be thoroughly drilled in certain places to allow for the molten zinc to fill up and run out the tubing easily and to avoid excess zinc being trapped and combustion from closed ends while going through the process. This also improves the corrosion resistance of the tubing as it ensures the internals are also coated.

Zinc Painting

Also known as zinc-rich coating, zinc painting is the process of applying a zinc layer onto metal by spray- or paint-brushing it. It involves the use of zinc dust, mixed with organic or non-organic binders.

Before zinc painting commences, the metal object must be cleaned to a near-white surface using abrasive blast cleaning like sandblasting or our metal cleaning via acid dipping.

Depending on preference or availability, the zinc can be sprayed or painted onto the surface.

To prevent uneven coating, the paint should be applied as evenly as possible and top coats can also be applied for extra protection.

Call us to Get Your Metals Electro-galvanised

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