What exactly is a film-forming agent? How can it be used more effectively?

Film coating agent is a chemical agent used for metal surface treatment. It can form a protective film on the metal surface and has many functions and uses. The following is a detailed introduction and effective use methods:

Introduction to film-forming agents

Main ingredients: usually contain phosphates, zinc salts, manganese salts and other ingredients, and may also include some accelerators, corrosion inhibitors and other additives. These ingredients interact with each other, allowing the film agent to react chemically on the metal surface to form a protective film.

Working principle: The film agent forms an insoluble metal compound film by chemically reacting with the metal surface. This film can isolate the metal from the external environment, prevent oxygen, water, etc. from contacting the metal, thereby preventing metal corrosion. At the same time, the film can also increase the hardness, wear resistance and lubricity of the metal surface, and improve the surface properties of the metal.

Application fields: Widely used in machinery manufacturing, automobile industry, aerospace, electronic appliances and other fields. For example, surface treatment of automobile parts, rust prevention of mechanical parts, protection of electronic product shells, etc.

How to use the film-forming agent effectively

Surface pretreatment: Before using the coating agent, the metal surface must be thoroughly cleaned and degreased to remove impurities such as oil, dust, rust, etc. You can use organic solvents, alkaline cleaning agents or special degreasing agents to clean, then rinse with water and dry. This ensures that the coating agent can fully contact the metal surface and form a uniform and firm coating.

Preparation of film-forming agent: Accurately weigh and prepare the film-forming agent solution according to the requirements of the film-forming agent product manual. Generally speaking, the film-forming agent stock solution needs to be diluted to a certain concentration and an appropriate amount of water and other additives should be added. During the preparation process, attention should be paid to stirring evenly to ensure that the various components of the film-forming agent are fully mixed.

Treatment temperature and time: Different types of coating agents have different requirements for temperature and time when used. Usually, the treatment temperature is between 30℃-90℃, and the treatment time varies from 1 to 30 minutes. For example, the treatment temperature of zinc coating agents is generally between 50℃-70℃, and the treatment time is 5 to 15 minutes. In actual use, the best treatment temperature and time should be determined through experiments based on the metal material, coating agent type and specific process requirements.

Treatment methods: Common treatment methods include immersion, spraying and brushing. The immersion method is to immerse the metal workpiece in the film-forming agent solution so that its surface is fully exposed to the film-forming agent. This method is suitable for workpieces with complex shapes and large batches; the spraying method is to spray the film-forming agent solution evenly on the metal surface through a spraying device. It has high treatment efficiency and is suitable for large-area metal surface treatment; the brushing method is suitable for local treatment or small-area workpieces. It is simple to operate but has low efficiency.

Post-treatment: After the film treatment is completed, the workpiece needs to be post-treated. First, rinse the film agent solution on the surface of the workpiece with clean water to remove the residual agent and impurities on the surface. Then dry it, which can be done by natural drying, hot air drying or oven drying. The dried film can be oiled, painted, etc. as needed to further improve the protective performance of the metal.

When using film-forming agents, operators should wear appropriate protective equipment, such as gloves and goggles, to avoid contact between the film-forming agents and the skin and eyes. At the same time, attention should be paid to the storage conditions of the film-forming agents, avoiding direct sunlight and high temperature environments to prevent the film-forming agents from becoming ineffective.