“Less is more” – by reducing the coating thickness, Voigt & Schweitzer saves up to 80 percent with microZINQ® while simultaneously increasing the corrosion protection effect through innovative molten zinc technology. The Gelsenkirchen-based group was honored for this raw material innovation by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology at the end of November. microZINQ® received the Raw Material Efficiency Award as an outstanding practical example of optimal raw material and material use.

microZINQ® requires only ten micrometers of zinc and thus achieves better corrosion protection than classic piece galvanizing according to DIN EN ISO 1461. By comparison, zinc coatings of 70 micrometers are standard according to the applicable DIN standard.

“The use of microZINQ® technology conserves raw material resources and protects the environment,” said Lars Baumgürtel, managing partner at Voigt & Schweitzer, upon receiving the award in Berlin.

Not only is the potential for zinc savings enormous, but the process temperature can also be kept significantly lower than with conventional piece galvanizing. The eutectic alloy composition of zinc and aluminum ensures a lower melting point – instead of 450 °C, the boilers only need to be heated to a temperature of 420 °C. This significantly reduces energy consumption by more than five percent.
The “savings” lead to visibly better results: the resource-efficient surface exhibits ductile deformation behavior and can also be coated retrospectively with conventional wet paint or powder coating systems. While welding conventionally galvanized components is not recommended, as a relatively large amount of zinc evaporates and can lead to high porosity and thus poor weld quality, the achievable weld quality is high with micro-galvanized surfaces. Another advantage of this innovative process is that the zinc layer forms independently of the silicon/phosphorus content of the steel and also excels with high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel grades.

“For us, this award is excellent proof that quality, function, and resource efficiency do not have to be mutually exclusive. On the contrary—steel benefits from our low-temperature process,” says Lars Baumgürtel.

In addition to its many functional advantages, microZINQ® produces a literally brilliant result: a bright, shiny surface with impressive corrosion protection properties and built-in shine retention thanks to the passive properties of the zinc-aluminum coating.

About the award

With the German Resource Efficiency Award, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology honors outstanding examples of resource- and material-efficient products, processes, or services, as well as application-oriented research results. The award is endowed with 10,000 euros—money that will be invested in research and development at Voigt & Schweitzer.