Product category:
Coatings and coating systems
News Release from: Vapormatt | Subject: Vaporblack process
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 February 2003
'Blacking' carried out safely at room
temperature
Room temperature 'blacking' process operates at room temperature (18degC to 24degC), by using an environmentally friendly chemical that is non-hazardous to operators.
Traditional methods of "blacking" iron and steel components involve the use of aggressive caustic-based solutions, often in open tanks, operating at temperatures up to 140degC But a unique, new blacking treatment - the 'Vaporblack' process - developed jointly by Vapormatt and Blackfast Chemicals, enables parts to be processed at room temperature (18degC to 24degC), employing a special chemical that is far more environmentally friendly than conventional solutions and non-hazardous to operators
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Jun 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Wet blast cabinet locates flush against a wall
Designed for both ease and economy of operation, a compact wet blast cabinet is ideal for either the small workshop or production operations and can be located flush to a wall.
System degreases, wet blasts and in one cycle
Turbine-based, automatic airless wet blast cleaning and degreasing machine is specifically designed for the batch cleaning of heavily soiled and oily parts in one automatic cycle.
Added to this, the Vaporblack process takes only two to three minutes to complete, compared with the typical 45 minutes for traditional blacking - thereby substantially reducing energy costs and minimising production time.
Based on Vapormatt's well proven 'Vaporblast' wet blast cleaning technology, the Vaporblack process is carried out in a specially designed self-contained twin-chamber machine, which is available in two sizes: the 'VB1', with two processing chambers each measuring 700mm x 700mm x 600mm and the 'VB3', with two 950mm x 700mm x 600mm chambers.
The relatively small machine footprint also saves floor space.
Further reading
Blacking carried out safely at room temperature
Traditional methods of 'blacking' iron and steel components involve the use of aggressive caustic-based solutions, but it now can be done at room temperature with friendlier chemicals.
Wet blasting cleans up extrusions a treat
Production trials show that wet blasting gets a much better result than ultrasonic or mechanical brushing preparation systems on extruded profiles, and is safer and more environmentally acceptable.
Both the machine design and the chemical solutions used comply with latest EU environmental and health and safety requirements.
The process involves pre-cleaning to remove surface contamination, such as heat treatment oxides and scale, followed by blacking with 'Blackfast 181' solution, a water wash and then the application of a surface sealant ('Blackfast 833').
The operation is carried out manually under preset process control parameters.
Immersion in Blackfast 181 removes minute particles of iron and steel from the component surface and replaces these with an iron copper complex, which is then oxidised (black).
The surface complex produced by the process is similar to a phosphate finish but, importantly, there are no dimensional changes.
The 'Blackfasted' substrate will absorb oil/wax sealants into the component surface to give the treated parts corrosion protection.
The Vaporblack process (not be confused with 'Parkerising' or phosphating) can be used for any carbon steel component with a chrome content of up to 12%, and is primarily a decorative finish.
The process is expected to be of particular interest to the automotive component manufacture and refinishing industries and can be applied to any suitable precision-engineered part requiring blacking.
(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 2 February 2003).
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