Advanced pretreatment technologies have been developed in response to rising energy costs, reduced labor resources, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the trend toward green manufacturing practices, and pressure from an increasingly competitive marketplace.

MetaLube has answered these challenges and gained market share with ZirKote conversion coating products. These zirconium-based pretreatment products are available for spray, pressure-wand, and immersion applications. They can be formulated with a detergent package to enhance part cleanliness or operate as standalone chemistry in three-stage pretreatment processes. ZirKote chemistries are effective when applied to both ferrous and nonferrous substrates.

ZirKote Conversion Coatings Offer Excellent Adhesion and Robust Salt Spray Performance

Neutral salt spray testing of ZirKote conversion coatings has produced outstanding results, often exceeding the performance of premium iron phosphates and zinc phosphates.

ZirKote Conversion Coatings Generate Very Little Sludge Compared to Traditional Iron Phosphates

Sludge reduction helps extend bath life and reduce the maintenance costs associated with frequent dumping and sludge hauling.

ZirKote Products Are Phosphate-Free and Contain No Regulated Heavy Metals

These products help customers meet their environmental compliance goals. They also offer significant reductions in costs associated with waste disposal. In some cases, a ZirKote coating bath may be pH-adjusted and discharged directly to the municipality.

These Products Are Designed to Be Applied at Ambient Temperature

This typically results in significant cost savings when transitioning from iron phosphate. Reduced energy consumption also lowers carbon emissions and supports environmental initiatives.

Coating Formation Occurs in as Little as 20 Seconds

Rapid coating formation allows for increased production speeds compared to iron phosphates.