Technical Paper
Autodeposition of Organic Films - Some Unique Applications
1986-12-08
862020
An autodeposition process applies an organic coating to cleaned-only metal surfaces without the use of an external current. Major advantages include lower floor space requirements than other high-quality finishing methods and the absence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) when using the chemicals employed in the most widely adopted process version. Of perhaps even greater importance is the energy efficiency of the process combined with its excellent throwing power. To achieve adequate film thicknesses in a 90 to 150 second immersion time, it is only necessary for the chemical coating bath to be able to wet any recessed area. An example of a commercial part suited to a low-cure autodeposition process is an automotive leaf-spring assembly which is a composite of heavy-gauge steel plates plus plastic and rubber components, the performance of which could be adversely affected by exposure to temperatures in excess of 200°F.