Aerodag Ceramishield - and spatter doesn't matter

The whole world of welding technology was spotlighted at the 17th international ESSEN WELDING FAIR in September 2009. The most comprehensive international fair in the sector presented a complete overview of the latest developments and innovations relating to all aspects of joining, cutting and coating. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 42 nations attended in Essen, among them Henkel - for the first time.

Henkel presented its innovative ceramic protective coating Aerodag® Ceramishield™ (formerly known as Pulve BN D 60A) for MIG/MAG welding, laser and plasma cutting and spot-welding. First experiences with the innovative product show that by using Aerodag® Ceramishield™ productivity can be increased by up to ten percent. At the same time running costs for consumables can be lowered by up to 70 percent and cleaning of the equipment can be reduced significantly. With this innovative product range Henkel is enhancing its portfolio of surface treatment and coating solutions for the industry.
Welding without downtimes

Aerodag® Ceramishield™ can be used in all MIG/MAG welding processes. Without the need for reapplication welding equipment is protected against metal spatter for the extraordinary duration of up to eight hours. The ceramic silicone-free spray coating dries within seconds and builds up a protective shield preventing the adhesion of welding spatter to contact tips or shrouds thereby granting continuous uninterrupted welding. Thanks to Aerodag® Ceramishield™ there's no need to interrupt the welding process for cleaning - a decided productivity advantage as downtimes will now be a thing of the past.

Refer to the pictures on the right: Aerodag® Ceramishield™ builds up a protective shield preventing the adhesion of welding spatter tocontact tips or shrouds thereby granting continuous uninterrupted welding (top). In manual MIG/MAG welding the application of Aerodag® Ceramishield™ ensures physical and
thermal protection thus increasing service life of welding equipment by four to five times (below).

Aerodag® Ceramishield™ ensures physical and thermal protection thus increasing service life of welding equipment by four to five times. Over the year this means significant savings while at the same time quality is increased: As the shroud remains free of spatter the gas flow is not interrupted which will result in a perfect welding seam each day and every time.

Reliable protection without impairment
When spot-welding a single coat of Aerodag® CERAMISHIELD™ protects jigs, fixtures and fittings against adhering spatter. So surface cleaning using expensive chemicals is no longer necessary. At the end of the shift spatter can be swept up with a soft brush. Also power cables, sensors, metal components and the jaws of spot welding systems can be coated with Aerodag® Ceramishield™. Once the ceramic protective coating is applied they are protected for up to one week.

As laser and plasma cutting nozzles are particularly sensitive to spatter a thin film of Aerodag® CERAMISHIELD™ offers reliable protection without impairing machine operation. The result: an extended service life of shrouds and a more reliable, continuous production with a higher productivity and revenue thanks to less downtime for cleaning.

Long term spatter protection - tests
Test performed by TWI and the company's technical welding engineers have showed that spatter build up in the torch was substantially reduced.

Providing long-term spatter protection for welding equipment has always been a challenge for the welding industry. The typical 'anti-spatter' products on the market provide short-term protection and spatter is r moved either manually or, for robotics, by a cleaning (or reaming) station. Working with Acheson, which was taken over by Henkel in 2008, and their technical welding engineers, TWI (The Welding Institute) has produced some interesting result when performing tests with the Aerodag® Ceramishield™ (previously named Pulve BN D 60A), a ceramic
protective dry film coating.

Ceramishield™ has been specifically designed to protect welding consumables, equipment and fixtures and fittings from spatter problems over long periods of time. The product is supplied in aerosol form and is simple to apply.

TWI has carried out robotic welding trials to establish the coating life when applied to torch components and fixtures. Using a mild steel wire with a dip transfer condition and a high 80% duty cycle, the tests showed that spatter build up in the torch was substantially reduced, whereas the uncoated nozzle showed significant spatter buildup. The figure shows a comparison after 75 minutes of welding. After more than four hours of welding, the coating continued to repel spatter without re-application. Any spatter remaining in the nozzle coated with Ceramishield™ could be easily removed and the coating was found to be substantially intact. The coated nozzle lasted more than twice as long as an u coated nozzle before weld quality was adversely affected by spatter build-up. These tests demonstrated that the routine use of a reaming station to clean the torch, would not be necessary, providing benefits in higher cycle times and costs savings on torch consumables.

Refer to pictures above: After 75 minutes of welding, tests showed that spatter build up in the torch was substantially reduced (top), whereas the uncoated nozzle showed significant spatter build-up (below).

The trials also showed the benefits of protecting jigs and fixtures with Ceramishield™. Spatter did not adhere to a coated fixture and after two days welding, the remaining spatter could be swept away with a light brush. This should eradicate problems of spatter interfering with part location in jigs and minimise the labour-intensive procedures of removing the spatter at the end of a shift.

As well as torch components, jigs and fixtures, Ceramishield™ can also be used to protect cables, sensors and the jaws in spot-welding. It is claimed that one coating application could last for up to a week. The results of these tests show that Ceramishield™ is an excellent protective coating solution against spatter problems and the consequent loss of productivity faced in the welding industry.

Henkel in profile
Henkel has been committed to making people's lives easier, better and more beautiful for more than 130 years. A Fortune Global 500 and Germany's most admired company according to a recent Fortune survey, Henkel offers strong brands and technologies in three areas of competence: Home Care, Personal Care and Adhesive Technologies. Each day, more than 52,000 employees in 125 countries are dedicated to fulfilling Henkel's claim "A Brand like a Friend." In fiscal 2008, Henkel generated sales of 14,131 million euros and adjusted operating profit of 1,460 million euros.

For further information contact, Peter Kreft, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Tel: +49 211 797 -  1458, Fax: +49  211 797 - 11458

Bactericide-free cutting fluids without bacterial growth

Henkel has developed novel water-miscible, bactericide-free cutting fluids. Even the addition of bactericides is un- necessary. The new Multan products are easy to use, decrease health risks to employees, and successfully implement prospective EU Biocides Regulations.

With its novel formula, Henkel has successfully composed a re-formulation of its patented emulsifier-technology, marking a breakthrough in the development of next generation cutting fluids. The new technology prevents bacteria from absorbing nutrients from the degradation of emulsifiers, once a certain minimum bacteria concentration has been reached. This way, Henkel's cutting fluids fully comply with the prospective EU Biocides Regulations. Unlike previous technologies, the formula of the new Multan products 71-2 and 77-4 avoids precarious bacterial growth, which usually occurs upon the use of cutting fluids, completely without any toxic bactericidal additives.

Conventional water-miscible cutting fluids as used in metal machining inevitably show high bacterial exposure due to organic substances they contain. Though a natural biological phenomenon, bacterial growth causes numerous technical problems in the production process and involves health risks to employees. Once a certain amount of bacteria has evolved, a "splitting" of the cutting fluid emulsion is imminent. As a consequence, the emulsion cannot be used and needs to be exchanged. Furthermore, bacterial metabolism results in a drop in pH value and therefore increases risk of corrosion. Not least, uncontrolled growth of microorganisms can become a threat to human health.

Refer to pictures above. Top: The new emulsifier-technology inhibits precarious bacterial growth in cutting fluids without any toxic bactericidal additives. Bottom: The new cutting fluids significantly reduce health risks to employees.

Up to date, two different approaches have been implemented in order to resolve the problem of bacterial growth. In the case of bactericide-free cutting fluids, bacterial growth is tolerated. Only upon high bacteria concentration a "one-shot" disinfection is implemented. This treatment reduces number of bacteria and the cycle of bacterial growth repeats itself. The disadvantages of the method, however, are that employees are permanently exposed to bacteria and to end products of bacterial metabolism as well as to highly concentrated biocides. This involves health risks to the staff. Eliminated germs provide excellent nutrient solution for next generation germs, which as a result makes necessary an increased frequency of disinfection. In the case of cutting fluids containing bactericides, bacterial growth is avoided when used appropriately. However, since the formula includes bactericides, employees are at high health risk when exposed to bactericide containing cutting fluids, too.

Now, Henkel is offering a solution to these problems with its new product line that provides high performance without any bactericidal additives. The new Multan cutting fluids exclude employees from being exposed to health risks that occur due to bacteria or bactericides while high quality and performance of the product are mai tained. Currently, two products of the Henkel product portfolio feature the new technology. Generalist Multan 71-2 is multifunctional. Due to its high lubricity, it is suitable for coarse machining. By providing fine dispersion it also qualifies for grinding. For high-alloy steel and aluminum machining specialist Multan 77-4 is the ideal product that provides extremely high lubricity even at low concentration. By using the new Multan products customers fully comply with the revised EU Biocides Regulations that will come into effect in 2014 and from then on will clearly restrict the use of bactericides.

For further information contact, Peter Kreft, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Tel: +49 211 797 -  1458, Fax: +49  211 797 - 11458