With the Use of Z-CIS® Methodology, ZERUST® Identifies Corrosion Causing Contaminants During Manufacturing Process

Problem

A brake disc manufacturer located in Mexico contacted ZERUST® as they were experiencing a flash corrosion issue during the manufacturing process. The customer received the discs from the foundry and then formed the discs at their facility. During this forming process, they were using cutting lubricants/coolants and after the discs were formed, they would wash them to remove the residual fluids. After the washing process, a competitor’s water-based rust preventative was applied to the discs, to provide rust protection while the parts were prepared for the final coating. However, they were experiencing flash corrosion before the parts could be coated and the manufacturer was also receiving customer complaints of brake pads arriving with rust.

Solution

A local ZERUST® technical service representative visited the manufacturer’s facility to complete a Z-CIS® process map and collect fluid samples from the production line.  Those samples were then brought to ZERUST’s laboratory for analysis. After analyzing the fluids, it was determined that the corrosion issues they were experiencing was due to contaminated water in the washing process. ZERUST® recommended that the manufacturer change the water more frequently to prevent contamination and suggested using AxxaClean™ 2048 Immersion to clean the rusted parts. With the use of AxxaClean™ 2048, they no longer needed to use the competitor’s water-based rust preventative as they only needed a few hours of flash corrosion protection before the parts were coated, which AxxaClean™ 2048 provides. Additionally, ZERUST® suggested storing the brake discs inside of ZERUST® ICT®510-C Ferrous VCI Bags for enhanced corrosion protection during shipment to their customers.