Corrosion Protection of Automotive Steels by Novel Water-borne Primer Systems

Corrosion protection of automotive steels has traditionally been assured by using a zinc phosphate metal pretreatment followed by the deposition of a cathodic electrocoat system. This system has been developed and optimized over the years into a highly robust and dependable system with a high performance. However, in terms of efficiency and use of resources and energy, the need is now felt to develop a simpler system with fewer steps, shorter lines, less energy requirements (curing and e-coat deposition) and less stringent waste disposal requirement (phosphate sludge). We report here on the development of a one-step system that can possibly replace both the zinc phosphate and the e-coating processes. Such a system is based on the so-called superprimer concept that we have recently developed for the replacement of chromate pretreatment and chromate-containing primers in the aerospace industry. With some modifications, such systems can also be adapted for use in the automotive industry.