From complex pretreatment to more efficient process control: HANSA Klimasysteme optimises corrosion protection with AD Chemicals GmbH

For air handling units used in schools, sports halls, swimming pools, industry, data centres and technical infrastructure, quality is not only about air treatment and control technology. The protection of metal housings and structural components also plays an important role. This is particularly true for HANSA Klimasysteme GmbH, a German manufacturer of customised ventilation and climate systems for a wide range of applications.

HANSA supplies solutions for swimming pools, IT cooling, hygiene, industry, laboratories and schools, among other applications. A high degree of customisation is a defining characteristic of the company. Many units are designed and built on a project specific basis, often in small series or as individual solutions. As a result, material selection, construction and surface treatment also vary from project to project.

HANSA’s main market is Germany, although its air handling units are also used in Luxembourg and, in individual cases, beyond. In production, the company works with a range of materials and components, including Sendzimir galvanised sheet, standard galvanised steel, stainless steel, aluminium and polyester coated materials.

This diversity of materials makes surface treatment a critical process step. HANSA’s ventilation and climate systems are used in environments where moisture, condensation, temperature fluctuations or chemical exposure can play a role. Examples include swimming pools with chlorine containing atmospheres, industrial installations, server rooms, telecommunications applications and energy infrastructure. High requirements for reliability and service life also apply in converter stations, where energy from wind and solar power is converted and transmitted onwards.

Focus on simpler process control and shorter lead times

For many years, HANSA worked with a proven pretreatment process from another supplier. This process consisted of a strongly alkaline cleaning stage with a degreasing booster, followed by two rinsing steps and a nanoceramic passivation. Corrosion protection, including systems moving towards C5H requirements, has long played an important role in HANSA’s market positioning.

At the same time, production increasingly called for a simpler and more efficient process. The existing pretreatment process required comparatively intensive process control. HANSA therefore wanted to assess whether the pretreatment could be simplified without affecting the quality of the complete coating system.

The focus was on a pretreatment concept that is easier to control, requires less process heat and better supports a fast and reliable production flow. Together with AD Chemicals GmbH and powder coating supplier CENARIS, HANSA investigated how the process chain could be further optimised.

Tested system build up with independent evaluation

Before HANSA made the switch, the new process was extensively tested. Initial tests were carried out in HANSA’s own laboratory, at AD Chemicals and at the coating supplier. An independent paint testing institute, ILAK Institut für Lackprüfung Andreas Keiner GmbH, was then involved to objectively evaluate the performance of the new system.

This step was important because HANSA did not assess only the individual process steps, but the complete system build up. The combination of chemical pretreatment, primer and topcoat ultimately determines the performance of the coated product in demanding environments.

The new process consists of Cleaner Neutral, two rinsing steps and PreCoat ADL 4P. With this, HANSA replaces the previous process based on strongly alkaline cleaning, two rinsing steps and nanoceramic passivation.

The system build up was evaluated, among other methods, on the basis of neutral salt spray testing in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9227 NSS:2024-10. The tested substrates were Sendzimir galvanised sheets DX51D +Z275 with chemical pretreatment from AD Chemicals, at least 80 µm CENARIS primer MEGAPRIMER® EP RAL 1002 G/SM (series 110-05) and at least 80 µm CENARIS topcoat MEGAPOL® F RAL 9002 G/GL (series 140-01).

Lower process temperature and more efficient production

A key difference between the previous and the new process lies in the process temperature. While the previous process operated at around 55 °C, the new process can be used at approximately 30 °C. This represents a clear reduction in the process heat required.

For HANSA, this is relevant not only from an energy perspective. The lower process temperature also contributes to more efficient process control and more manageable day to day production. Combined with the more neutral cleaning stage and the new pretreatment step, it creates a simpler process that is better aligned with the objective of a fast and reproducible production flow.

HANSA also sees advantages from a process engineering perspective. The new pretreatment is perceived as simpler and more robust. The process is less sensitive, easier to control and provides greater control over the final surface quality. This creates more stability in production and reduces dependency on critical process windows.

Waste treatment was not a decisive factor in HANSA’s decision to switch, but it did provide an additional benefit to a limited extent. The main drivers were the combination of process simplification, lower temperature, stable quality and shorter lead times in production.

Positive response in production

The transition also went smoothly in production. According to HANSA, there were no significant reservations beforehand, including among the employees who work with the baths and process control on a daily basis. The operators responded positively to the new way of working.

In addition to the technical improvement, HANSA identified practical advantages in day to day production. The new pretreatment operates at a lower temperature and uses chemistry with less severe hazard labelling than the previous strongly alkaline process. In HANSA’s assessment, this contributes to more pleasant working conditions. Handling the chemistry is perceived as easier, and the process is more manageable for the employees who work with it every day.

Technical support from analysis to implementation

The collaboration with AD Chemicals GmbH played an important role in this process. Alfred Stegeman, Sales & Process Engineer at AD Chemicals, supported the project from analysis through to implementation. The starting point was the question of how the existing process chain could be simplified while maintaining the quality of the complete coating system.

Practical implementation followed. AD Chemicals supported HANSA in areas including bath preparation, finding a suitable company to clean the baths and training operators in the handling of the new chemicals. After implementation, AD Chemicals remained involved from a technical service perspective, providing follow up support and practical optimisation advice.

For HANSA, this support was an essential part of the project’s success. Changing to a new chemical process affects not only the chemistry itself, but also employees, process control, rinsing steps and daily production practice. This is where the value of AD Chemicals’ technical competence and practical experience became particularly clear.

C5H remains an important factor in market positioning

Enhanced corrosion protection remains an important topic for HANSA. At present, around 15 percent of the company’s products have a C5H related quality requirement. By 2035, the company expects this share could rise to approximately 25 percent. This development is driven in part by energy transition projects, such as converter stations for wind and solar energy, as well as by applications in swimming pools, air treatment and technical installations where higher corrosion protection is required.

The new pretreatment supports HANSA in this market development. The company now has a more efficient and more manageable process route that matches the requirements of projects in which corrosion protection is an important factor. As a result, surface treatment becomes a supporting argument in sales, alongside the technical performance of the units themselves.

Although coating at HANSA is not a standalone service but part of the company’s own product quality, its impact is significant. The air handling unit remains the main product, with electrical engineering, air treatment and control technology at its core. However, the coating build up contributes to how reliably the unit performs over the long term in demanding environments.

HANSA looks back positively on its collaboration with AD Chemicals GmbH and CENARIS. Implementation went well, the initial results are positive and the cooperation between the partners involved is regarded as very strong. At the same time, this project shows that efficient corrosion protection is not the result of a single process step, but of a well aligned process chain. In particular, the combination of the chemical pretreatment from AD Chemicals GmbH and the powder coating system from CENARIS enabled a process build up that is simpler, faster and easier to control. The project therefore underlines the importance of specialised partners who align their expertise, from pretreatment through to coating build up.

From complex pretreatment to more efficient process control: HANSA Klimasysteme optimises corrosion protection with AD Chemicals GmbH

Categories

Focus on simpler process control and shorter lead times

Tested system build up with independent evaluation

Lower process temperature and more efficient production

Positive response in production

Technical support from analysis to implementation

C5H remains an important factor in market positioning

Newsletter

Metal Surface Treatment

AD International B.V.

+31 (0) 167 526 900

Visiting address

From complex pretreatment to more efficient process control: HANSA Klimasysteme optimises corrosion protection with AD Chemicals GmbH

Categories

Focus on simpler process control and shorter lead times

Tested system build up with independent evaluation

Lower process temperature and more efficient production

Positive response in production

Technical support from analysis to implementation

C5H remains an important factor in market positioning

Newsletter

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Metal Surface Treatment

AD International B.V.

+31 (0) 167 526 900

Visiting address