Chemcoaters, a steel coil coating company based in Gary, Indiana, has commissioned and installed a new electrostatic oiler upgrade to better serve local steel mills, service centers, and end users.
The investment will enable Chemcoaters to maintain their standard industry services while expanding its metal cleaning and oiling capabilities to serve a wider range of applications and customers.
High angle view of Chemcoaters metal processing machinery.This electrostatic oiler uses a high-voltage electric current to turn oils into fine particles for a more controllable, even application on a metal surface. When used properly, these oils can help protect metals from rusting, improve metal processing, and reduce wear and tear on manufacturing machinery.
“In most cases, it’s completely fine to have a heavier oil coating on a metal strip, but we’re recently finding that heavier coatings can make some manufacturing processes more difficult, if not impossible,” says Rylee Zegley, sales and marketing manager at Chemcoaters. “This new oiler will allow us to easily accommodate those requests from OEMs who can’t handle such heavy oil coatings in their production process. We’re excited to now offer electrostatic oiling for a wider range of customers!”
According to Zegley, standard metal oiling usually requires 75 mg/ft² of oil on each side of a metal strip, but those requests are shifting. So far, Chemcoaters has tested and verified their new oiler down to 30 mg/ft², less than half the weight of their standard coating.
“Usually, the companies asking for [lower oiling weights] can’t properly route extra oil to their waste management system,” Zegley says. “We’ve received requests for oil as low as 1 mg/ft² total- a significant drop from our normal coating weights. Our R&D team is planning further internal trials for the second quarter to see how far we can scale back our oil applications to meet these niche demands.”
Chemcoaters metal processing machinery.The oiler upgrade, purchased from GFG Peabody, was custom-built for Chemcoaters and their specific facility’s needs. Chemcoaters hopes to offer this service to steel and aluminum producers, who handle regular cleaning and metal reprocessing requests.
The Gary-based processor is one of the largest-capacity steel coating and cleaning locations in the US, with capabilities ranging from 0.01” to 0.125” thick and 20” - 72” wide. Chemcoaters can treat steel, aluminum, and even specialty non-ferrous items like zinc strips. Their other capabilities include applying corrosion-inhibiting coatings developed in-house, dry film lube application, TFAS, passivation, metal reclamation, and more.
Visit www.chemcoaters.com.
