India CSR News Network
NEW DELHI: During the 2nd International Galvanizing Conference being held in Delhi on 20th October, Hindustan Zinc will launch a new product ‘HZDA’ (Hindustan Zinc Die Casting alloy).
The new product will be launched as part of inauguration ceremony by Chaudhary Birender Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Steel, Government of India at Hotel Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. The unique product is produced using Primary Zinc and pure aluminium. ‘HZDA’ will cater to the need of the die-casting sector for applications in automobile components, house hold appliances, sanitary-ware and defence. Company will also be starting production of the Toning Alloy series for consumption in steel galvanizing sector for precise control of aluminium in galvanizing bath.
Over 20 speakers from industries and institutions like Hindustan Zinc, JSW, Tata Steel, PGCIL, Maruti, ESSAR, International Lead-Zinc Development Association and IIT Bombay will deliberate upon the future of zinc and exploring new market.
“The launch of ‘HZDA’ will be in line with the support of Prime Minister’s flag-ship program “Make in India” and is expected to replace the imported zinc alloys and to cater to the need of Auto and Steel Industry,” informed Pavan Kaushik, Company’s spokesperson.
Stephen Wilkinson, Executive Director of International Zinc Association says, “Car makers in Europe, North America, Korea and Japan have been using galvanised steel for body panels for decades. These car companies provide anti-corrosion and perforation warranties for a minimum of 10 years. But there is no such protection for most cars made for the Indian consumers. Here the customers are advised to pay for extra coatings to protect the body of the car after purchase. More than 60% of the cars in India have surface rust which reduces steel strength and the life of the car.”
Globally galvanized steel car bodies have been shown to experience minimal corrosion attack which protects the structural integrity and safety of the vehicle, improves the resale value, provides consumer protection due to anticipated warranty improvements by the car companies, lowers maintenance costs of underbody and structural components due to the use of zinc coated steel, and saves consumers the costs of after-market anti corrosion treatments and annual inspections.
In China, more vehicles are sold each year than the U.S. and Japan combined, and they rarely use galvanized steels, according to the International Zinc Association. The annual passenger vehicle sales will rise to 24 million in 2020 in China, from 19 million last year, as per McKinsey & Co. forecasts and only about one thirds of locally-manufactured autos use galvanized panels to prevent corrosion and rusting.
The 2nd International Galvanizing Conference 2016 is being organized by International Zinc Association (IZA) in association with Hindustan Zinc to deliberate upon potential zinc market, development of zinc & steel market, role of zinc in infrastructure, application in emerging sectors like automobiles, rail-tracks and galvanization of rebar to strengthen the structure particularly which are near coastal areas.
Zinc, the 8th known metal to the mankind and is the 4th widely consumed metal in the world after iron, aluminium, and copper. With its strong anticorrosive properties, it is a friend of all metals. According to industrial sources, almost 58% of the zinc mined across the world is used for galvanizing. 14% is for die-casting, 10% for alloys and in brass making, 9% in chemicals, 6% in rolled zinc and 3% is used for other miscellaneous purpose.
Zinc when used for galvanization in construction, acts as a boon to the steel industry. On exposure to water or humidity, Zinc corrodes preferentially and gives cathodic protection to iron. Building and construction industries use at least 2/3rd of the entire coated steel strip produced, mainly for roofing and cladding of commercial and industrial buildings. Much of the material used in building has a mill-applied organic coating on top of the zinc. The coastal regions are more prone to corrosion and thus use of galvanized steel gives them much needed breather of longer life to the buildings. Hot dip galvanizing in its original form is also a growing industry. Casting stands out to be another important area which is based on new alloys and new technology. Competition from plastics threatened the market for zinc casting in the 1970s, but the development of new alloys and dramatic improvements in process control enabled zinc casting to hold their own in many areas, particularly where strength and applied finishes were required. Since the casting could be much thinner, less metal was used, it also reduced the weight and improved the quality but reduced the cost.
Zinc can also be recycled indefinitely without degradation. Thus there is also a specific market for zinc scrap and residues are classified, traded and priced according to zinc content and to the economics of turning the scrap into a useful product.
