Zimetal

THE TREATMENT PROCESS

Support for the treatment process is provided throughout every stage by computerized control and management systems. This allows for greater operational flexibility and precision, so as to better meet the needs of a demanding clientèle, and provides additional incentives and motivations for product research and technological advances. Our plant has large yards and is equipped with lift trucks with a capacity of up to 8 tons. This allows for a suitable and rapid flow of materials during loading and unloading, as well as during treatment. If necessary, treated goods can be stored in our storage facility for long periods of time. The movement of goods and materials within our facility is safely performed by overhead travelling cranes with a capacity of up to 15 tons.
Production is divided into two shifts, employing a total of approximately 90 operators who, together with a well-trained and strongly motivated technical staff, are able to offer highly professional and efficient service, from the design stage of the fabricated articles to be galvanized through the final inspection of the finished products. In recent years, hot galvanizing treatment's scope of application has broadened. Today it encompasses a vast range of articles from every sector of the civil and industrial spheres.

Treatment consists of 8 cycles:

DEGREASING 2 stations - 200 cubic metres of degreasing solution Products: Acidic surfactants Operating temperature: 30°C Integrated mechanical agitation system	PICKLING 14 stations – 1200 cubic metres of pickling solution Products: Hydrochloric acid and corrosion inhibitors Operating temperature: 20/30°C Integrated mechanical agitation system	RINSING 1 station - 100 cubic meters of solution Products: Water, chlorides and additives Operating temperature: ambient Continuous de-ironing treatment	FLUXING 1 station - 100 cubic meters of solution Products: Zinc Ammonium Chloride with additives Operating temperature: 35/40°C Patented process with HAl-Ga ® Technology
PREHEATING 4 postazioni - accumulo automatizzato. Temperatura di esercizio: 80 >110°C Recupero di calore dal forno di zincatura.	GALVANIZING 1 kettle – dimensions of 14,000 x 1,800 x 3,300 mm Products: SHG zinc 99.995% no Pb - no Ni Operating temperature: 443°C Class 1 Bath Patented HAl-Ga® Technology	COOLING 7 stations – air drying 1 tank – quenching in water Heat recovery system	PASSIVATION 1 station - 100 cubic metres of passivation solution 5 stations - drying and automatic holding Products: chromium-free metal salts solution Operating temperature: ambient
PICKLING In order to obtain a perfect zinc coating, it is absolutely indispensable that any rust be completely cleaned from the materials prior to treatment. The pickling installation has a capacity of 1,200 cubic metres. It is housed in a hermetically sealed tunnel-style pretreatment unit with a completely automated cycle of operations equipped with an acid fume capture and abatement system. Materials are automatically immersed in the pickling baths and immersion times are set and recorded over time for every rack depending on the material's degree of oxidation. The presence of 14 stations allows for longer immersion times than are possible in normal installations equipped with a small number of tanks. This gives our installation an extremely high potential in terms of pickling, ensuring a thorough cleaning of fabricated articles. For a more effective chemical action, the solutions are heated to a temperature of 20/30 °C and the materials suspended from the loading racks are vibrated using a motion system that facilitates the mechanical removal of oxide layers. The efficiency of the pickling is ensured by the use of corrosion inhibitors and by the monitoring of the solutions through periodic analyses. 14 stations – 1200 cubic metres of pickling solution Products: Hydrochloric acid and corrosion inhibitors Operating temperature: 20/30°C Integrated mechanical agitation system