Galvanizing of Steel Tube intended for use in greenhouse structures must be strong, resist humid environments and be easy to fabricate. Tubing manufactured with the Zinc-Tech™ inline galvanizing process will outperform any other production method like hot dip galvanizing or pre-galv strips. The following summarizes the unique product characteristics and benefits of greenhouse tube manufactured by the inline galvanizing process.

Fence tube is one of the most common end use products which is produced utilizing the Zinc-Tech™ inline galvanizing process. Corrosion performance and strength are vital to a quality fence product. These characteristics are two of the strongest attributes in inline galvanized products. Your customers will immediately recognize your product quality when compared to alternative products made from hot dip galvanizing or pre-galvanized strips.

There are common threads that join all galvanized steel products manufactured by the Zinc-Tech™ process. Superior corrosion protection, exceptional product strength and ease of fabrication are three characteristics that make inline galvanized products perfect for use in the Farming & Agricultural industry.

Easier to install and stronger than its counterparts, scaffolding manufactured by the inline galvanizing process has become the material of choice. Consider its improved resistance to impact, abrasion, corrosion and it is easy to see why the market has fully embraced these superior products over products manufactured through hot dip galvanizing process.

Electrical conduit products are extensively produced utilizing the inline galvanizing process. No alternative process like hot dip galvanizing or usage of pre-galvanizing strips can match the quality or production efficiencies of the Zinc-Tech™ inline galvanizing process for the production of electrical conduits. This is the reason that every major producer of these products utilize inline production technology.

Authored by Peter Chifo, Jr. Interior Coating The interior surface of the tube is coated with end use specific coatings. These can range from low friction, high slip conduit coatings to heavy zinc rich coatings which will provide maximum corrosion protection properties.

Authored by Peter Chifo, Jr. For many years galvanizing and coatings have been applied over welded steel tubular products to provide protection against corrosion, enhance product appearance, and make the product more suitable for a specific end use. The vast majority of these coating systems were off-line operations that were cumbersome, labor intensive and required a significant amount of factory floor space. By the nature of their design, these off-line systems usually required work-in-process inventories, which often resulted in higher production costs. Recently, tube and pipe producers have been working to integrate as many operations in-line as practical, with the goal of optimizing efficiencies within the tube or pipe mill.

Authored by Peter Chifo, Jr. (A segment of this blog was originally published in The Fabricator) Exterior Secondary Coating Operations While galvanized tubulars and shapes provide considerable protection against corrosion, their performance and aesthetics may be further enhanced through application of a secondary coating or hybrid coating process. In addition to galvanized substrates, un-coated black mechanical tubes may utilize these secondary in-line processes to add utility, performance and value presenting many opportunities to non-galvanized tube and pipe producers. These secondary coating operations primarily act to shield the underlying substrates by forming a distinct protective barrier which insulates the surface from potentially harmful elements. In general to be effective coatings should possess the following properties. The coating should be continuous and substantially impervious to its subject environment while remaining resistant to damage such as abrasion or scratching. It should not electrolytically accelerate the attack on its substrate. Finally, the coating should exhibit good adhesion and ductility if the end use of the base product is intended for fabrication. It should be noted that coatings for application over tubular products are considered to be specific use formulations. They are meant to perform specific tasks with regard to corrosion protection, product aesthetics or in some cases to provide a materials advantage to allow the use of a more economical component. It is not uncommon for these coatings to require some degree of on-line tuning to optimize their performance and compensate for process or other production variables. Once these final modifications are completed the coatings will rarely require anything other than proper agitation to achieve their intended performance.

Our process applies a fully fused zinc coating to the exterior surface after seam welding. This is beneficial in that the total circumference of the tube is coated with zinc. This provides an equal amount of protection over the entire surface of the tube including the weld seam. Unlike products manufactured using pre-galvanized materials with a metallized seam, the weld seam does not have the same level of protection as the body of the tube or pipe. It is widely accepted that metallization of the weld seam will fail far more rapidly than the pre-galvanized material. The following graphic illustrates typical performance of various products tested under the ASTM-117B Salt Spray Standard.

Authored by Peter Chifo, Jr. (A segment of this blog was originally published in The Fabricator) Methods for Galvanizing Tubulars and Shapes At present there are four production methods being employed to produce galvanized tubular products. Three of these are well known and only a brief description of each is provided. The fourth continuous process not being as widely known is presented in more detail. Pre-Galvanized Strip with Metallized Weld Seam This method utilizes pre-galvanized strip in lieu of un-coated steel strip. As the zinc coating is melted away at the weld seam during the welding process, a metallized spray is directed over the seam to provide corrosion protection. The inability to provide corrosion protection to the weld seam equal to that of the pre-galvanized strip makes this product susceptible to premature failure and is thereby practical for limited environments and usage. While this process requires minimal capital investment this is typically offset by the high cost of raw material which can be quite unstable due to wide fluctuations in balance of market supply and demand. Electro-Deposition or Electroplating