vanchem performance chemicals

Zinc Phosphate, Fostex ZN

Zinc Phosphate is used to enhance paint adhesion and reduce corrosion

Zinc Phosphate

Zinc phosphate enhances paint adhesion by giving the paint something to bond to securely. It reduces paint-to-metal reactions and forms a barrier between the substrate and the paint. Zinc phosphate also reduces general surface corrosion on metal substrates and reduces underfilm delamination in the event of damage to the paint film.

There are three types of phosphate coatings.

  1. Iron phosphate is a lightweight amorphous coating. It generally has a coating weight between 15-100 mg/ft2 and typically used as paint base for low-corrosion environments.
  2. A modified zinc phosphate coating is a medium weight crystalline phosphate coating. It has a coating weight between 150-350 mg/ft2. It is typically used as paint base for high-corrosion environments. Vanchem’s primary product is called FOSTEX ZN.
  3. A heavy zinc phosphate coating produces a very heavy coating weight, typically between 700-3,500 mg/ft2. It is used for unpainted applications.

When applying a zinc phosphate coating to metal, remember that high temperatures cause excessive phosphate sludge, resulting in high chemical and maintenance costs. An efficient zinc phosphate coating can have several long-term benefits, including fewer rejects, higher throughput, decreased downtime, and lower maintenance costs.

Zinc phosphate is widely used in automotive and military applications, but is used to a lesser extent in general industry where high paint performance may not be required. Since neither iron phosphate nor green technologies can out-perform zinc phosphate, zinc phosphate will be in use for many years to come. The big change will come in the future when new technologies perform as well as zinc phosphate combined with an economic incentive of cost reduction. At that point, we will see a major shift to green technologies.

Make sure your company considers FOSTEX ZN from Vanchem Performance Chemicals, a zinc phosphate product for your pre-paint application needs. Contact us at our Burlington, Ontario corporate headquarters.