Technological advancements in galvanizing lines span multiple dimensions, including core process equipment, automation and control, post-processing techniques, product development, and energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Core Process Equipment
Manufacturers are continuously improving air knives to enable automatic tracking of the steel strip while maintaining a stable distance. Key features include dynamic pressure control in the nozzle zone, the use of dual-lip rotary air knives with optimized lip gap profiles, and the integration of rapid lip-cleaning mechanisms.
Ceramic induction-heated zinc pots (channel-type) are widely used, with a trend toward larger capacities to ensure the stability of the molten zinc bath; coreless induction pot technology has also matured. SMS has developed a vertical zinc pot design that eliminates the need for sink rolls; the strip passes vertically through the molten zinc, and the pot contains no components susceptible to corrosion. For induction pots, zinc bath temperature must be regulated according to product specifications, and operational precautions-such as avoiding simultaneous heating by two pairs of inductors-must be observed.
Skin-pass equipment utilizes four-roll skin-pass mills capable of both dry and wet processing, with work roll surfaces treated via shot blasting or electron-beam texturing.