Working together towards sustainable success: AD Chemicals and Alulack continue to optimise the chemical pretreatment process

Alulack and AD Chemicals have been working together for over 20 years. During this long-standing collaboration, the companies have repeatedly developed high-quality processes together. Years ago, this involved switching from a chromium-based to a chromium-free process; today, the focus is on optimising the pre-treatment line in terms of energy savings and efficiency. In addition, adjustments have also been made to the pre-treatment to create a more robust process for treating recycled aluminium. Xavier Michiels, Director of Alulack, aptly describes the collaboration with this quote: ‘Working with AD feels like a natural fit, a partnership characterised by trust, personal attention, a chemically and technically detail-oriented approach, service and the desire for the highest quality. If something works well, you shouldn’t want to change it.’

In this article, both companies report jointly on the adjustments and the future vision of AD and Alulack for the process.

Recycled aluminium

Aluminium has the advantage that it can be recycled indefinitely, making it an environmentally friendly choice. The use of recycled aluminium in façade construction is expected to increase in the coming years. However, the quality of recycled aluminium varies, which poses a challenge for the entire industry. This is partly due to the varying proportions of copper and zinc in the alloy. Maintaining the desired quality of the coating requires expertise and knowledge in surface treatment. Pre-treatment plays a crucial role in this. Together with various parties, including Alulack, AD has investigated how recycled aluminium can be effectively pre-treated to achieve the same quality as primary aluminium. The quality of the surface treatment process is of crucial importance here. Optimisations in the etching process during pre-treatment allow the conversion coating to form even better on aluminium, resulting in improved corrosion protection and better adhesion of the powder coating.

Xavier Michels Alulack & Roland van Meer AD Chemicals

Another advantage of this optimisation is the reduction in chemical consumption and waste. Alulack has been working with this new technology, Cleaner 602, for some time now and has found that in practice it leads to improved corrosion protection and increased paint adhesion on recycled aluminium. This enables Alulack to guarantee a high-quality coating for various types of aluminium. Xavier Michiels, Managing Director of Alulack, notes: ‘With this step, we are combining sustainability, top quality and efficiency in our operational management and are thus prepared for a future in which we will be processing more and more recycled aluminium.’ This optimisation shows that chemical pre-treatment is and remains a very effective alternative to other treatments of secondary aluminium, such as pre-anodisation.

Sustainability process; energy, wastewater, service life of baths

In addition to the adjustments for recycled aluminium, Alulack has implemented various optimisations in collaboration with AD. One of these optimisations is the use of a filter in the degreasing bath, which keeps the quality of the process fluid at a constant level. This filter removes impurities from the bath, thereby extending the service life of the chemical bath. Thanks to an adsorption filtration system, the filter remains effective for longer duration, ensuring that the degreasing bath is continuously cleaned. This results in up to 70% less impurities remaining in the process fluid. An important advantage of this solution is that the investment pays off from day one, leading to an immediate reduction in chemical consumption and waste. In addition, the process optimisation means that less maintenance work is required on the pre-treatment plant. Another advantage of the filter system is that it creates a slight turbulence in the bath, which means that even flat sheets are perfectly degreased.

In order to use water more sparingly, Alulack has arranged the rinsing baths in cascades. This means that the cleanest water is at the end of the plant. The water then flows in the opposite direction to the immersion process.

With regard to energy savings, further research was conducted to determine the optimum temperature for the baths to ensure high-quality pre-treatment without unnecessary chemical and energy consumption. As a result, the baths are currently set to a mild temperature.

Filter system for the filtration of degreasing baths

Quality awareness

Quality is a high priority in Alulack’s strategy. For this reason, the company has been offering its customers the option of Qualicoat Seaside pre-treatment for many years. Xavier Michiels, Managing Director of Alulack, explains in collaboration with AD that he greatly appreciates AD’s vision of quality. This enables pre-treatment to be carried out to the highest standard. Roland van Meer, Business Unit Manager at AD Chemicals, confirms this: ‘For years, AD has pursued a strategy of being the market leader, with a clear focus on the sustainability of processes for people and the environment and on improving quality.’ This is also reflected in the optimisations mentioned above.

Xavier is also an active member of the board of directors of Qualubel, the general Belgian licensee of the international quality labels for aluminium surface treatment Qualicoat (for powder coatings) and Qualanod (for anodising). Through his active involvement with Qualubel, he is informed about market developments (quality, pre-treatments, powder coatings, etc.) and can actively contribute to the future of aluminium surface treatment at Alulack. This is important because Belgian companies are increasingly having to compete with foreign companies.

For quality reasons, Alulack has strategically opted for a dip coating system. The big advantage for customers is that, compared to a spray system, dip coating allows the profiles and tubes to be treated completely from the inside and outside.

Chromium-free pre-treated aluminium profiles

The future

Alulack has built a solid foundation on investment and continuous innovation. For the future, the company is striving for a process that is both environmentally friendly and competitive. As one of the larger aluminium pre-treaters in its region, it will continue to offer flexibility and specialisation in the field of powder coating for various aluminium products. The company will also continue to invest, for example, in a new hall. It is important to mention that a pleasant and cooperative working atmosphere within the company is of great importance to the employees and the focus areas. After all, a good team is the best guarantee of quality.

Looking to the future, Alulack will continue to work with AD Chemicals and other market players to improve cooperation within the supply chain. The focus will be on monitoring market developments (recycled aluminium), energy consumption and improving environmental performance (people and the environment). However, issues such as increasing regulatory pressure from the government are also increasingly requiring a joint approach within the chain, with the aim of creating a strong and resilient aluminium powder coating sector in the Benelux countries.

Autor: Xavier Michiels – Alulack

Roland van Meer – AD Chemicals

Powder-coated sheets

Working together towards sustainable success: AD Chemicals and Alulack continue to optimise the chemical pretreatment process

Recycled aluminium

Categories

Sustainability process; energy, wastewater, service life of baths

Quality awareness

The future

Newsletter

Metal Surface Treatment

AD International B.V.

+31 (0) 167 526 900

Visiting address

Working together towards sustainable success: AD Chemicals and Alulack continue to optimise the chemical pretreatment process

Recycled aluminium

Categories

Sustainability process; energy, wastewater, service life of baths

Quality awareness

The future

Newsletter

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Metal Surface Treatment

AD International B.V.

+31 (0) 167 526 900

Visiting address