Substitute for cleaning with solvents
After the implementation of the chemical pretreatment, the next question arose. Munsters was look¬ing for a simple and quick, easy to apply cleaning product to replace the solvent-containing degreasers. Since MM31® also has excellent degreasing properties, builds a layer in the crystalline structure of the metal and significantly improves the adhesion and corrosion resistance of the products, it was a logical step to also select MM31® for this process. The corrosion protection directly significantly improved for all surfaces (aluminium, galvanised steel, steel and stainless steel) cleaned this way.
Where Munsters would previously make use of solvents, the product MM31® is now – in addition to the pretreatment – also used to clean trailer parts that are not being pretreated by the automatic spray arm. These could be, for example, hinges, closures and the like. These parts are made of various materials, which makes it normally a challenge to find a suitable product. With MM31® this becomes easy due to the multi-metal properties.
Application of MM31® as a conversion coating
MM31® can be applied with the following application methods:
Cloth
Application by use of a cloth is the easiest way to use MM31® and works as follows. Wet the cloth with MM31® and rub the polluted product. After this cleaning movement, the result can already clearly be noticed in the cloth that absorbs the pollution. It is important though that this cleaning method is performed using a lint-free cloth, made of microfibre or paper. Quality remains guaranteed, allowing significant time savings.
Spray gun
In case of more severe pollution, it is recommended to spray the product with MM31®. The easiest solution for this application is the use of a low-pressure liquid sprayer (plant sprayer). By applying MM31® with such a sprayer, one can easily spray the parts of this product for complete moistening. By allowing the liquid some time to attach to the pollution, the pollution can be wiped off more easily with a cloth. Also in this instance, it is important to make use of a lint-free cloth.
Dip
The great advantage of MM31® for all application methods is the application of a conversion layer. This conversion layer consists of trivalent chrome compounds that provide the basic material with strongly improved bonding and corrosion results. Specifically products that contain narrow openings, due to their construction, will show significant improvement after applying MM31®. Particularly these narrow openings (capillar) often form a problem during the chemical pretreatment. These capillaries become saturated with the first liquid that they come in contact with. In case of MM31® this will be MM31®. After the products have dried, a conversion layer will also have formed in the capillar that contains trivalent chrome and thus also here, a better corrosion resistance will be guaranteed.
Drying
The products treated with MM31® must be dry before applying a lacquer system to it. Drying can be done at ambient temperature, however, when time is of the essence, an oven or heated area can help speed up the process. The maximum drying temperature is 200 degrees celcius.
To conclude, MM31® has all the advantages of a solvent free, waterbased cleaner, in combination with the results of a genuine chemical pretreatment, applying to all substrates mentioned.
Track record chrome free AD
For many years, AD Chemicals is market leader when looking at the development of chromium (VI) free surface treatment systems for the entire metal processing industry, such as galvanising shops, contracting coaters, in-house paint shops and coil-coaters. As a result, the request from Munsters for a waterbased chromium (VI) free manual cleaning product was a perfect fit with the companies capabilities.We are quite proud to be able to say that we have met the demand of our client, Munsters. Now we would also like to share this fantastic product with the rest of the coating industry.
