Product category:
Materials processing and testing
News Release from: Birchwood Casey | Subject: Microlok AO
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 30 April 2004
Green route to high corrosion resistance
Microlok AO is a new environment- and user-friendly metal coating process for iron and steel components.
Microlok AO is a new environment- and user-friendly metal coating process for iron and steel components The patent-pending immersion tank process works on all iron and non-stainless-steel surfaces
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 7 Mar 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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When sealed with a rust preventive topcoat, the Microlok AO coating protects parts during storage and shipping and provides break-in lubricity and anti-galling protection.
Unaffected by temperatures as high as 760C, the Microlok AO finish can be used in high-heat applications and also serves as an excellent base for paint finishes or other topcoats, outperforming iron phosphate coatings.
Unlike acidic and caustic finishing processes, the Microlok AO process uses a mild (pH 4-5) solution that contains no EPA regulated metals.
Hazardous waste treatment of heavy metals is unnecessary and process rinse water is normally sewerable as nonhazardous effluent.
The working bath operates at 65C and does not cause a scale build-up on tanks and heaters, thereby minimising process line maintenance.
On non-rusty surfaces, the Microlok AO coating process requires only five steps and 16min process time.
The Microlok AO finish is ideal for tooling and machine components, automotive parts such as tie-rods and ball joints, oil-field equipment any part that does not require a black finish, but does require robust corrosion protection or anti-galling properties without a dimensional change.
The Microlok AO process is an easy and safe in-house coating system that can streamline part movement, reduce finished inventory and enhance ISO accountability.
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