Henkel introduces new pretreatment process to accommodate increase of aluminum in vehicle manufacturing

DETROIT, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Henkel Corporation's automotive group today announced the North American production debut of its BONDERITE^® Flex Process on the 2013 Ford F-150.

The Flex Process, used on the body of the 2013 F-150, enables a significant increase in aluminum content on vehicles by replacing the traditional zinc phosphating process with a zirconium oxide pretreatment. The 2013 F-150 features an all-aluminum hood.

Once aluminum content on vehicles reaches approximately 30 percent, the use of zinc phosphate becomes more difficult to control and leads to an increase in sludge generation. Zirconium oxide offers a solution to the limitations zinc phosphate presents.

"Treating aluminum with zirconium oxide gives vehicle manufacturers the flexibility of processing up to 85 percent aluminum on vehicles, versus 25 percent with a conventional zinc phosphate coating," said Manish Dave, Director, Surface Treatment, North America, Henkel Corporation's automotive group. "In addition to enabling an increase in the amount of aluminum used, zirconium oxide provides better corrosion protection and reduces sludge waste by two-thirds, resulting in significant environmental benefits."

Henkel's BONDERITE^® Flex Process is currently used on the 2013 Ford F-150 as well as the 2013 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger. For more information on the BONDERITE^® Flex Process, visit Henkel booth #307 at the SAE 2013 World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, April 16-18.

Images: High-resolution images of the 2013 Ford F-150 all-aluminum hood and the BONDERITE^® Flex Process are available by contacting Carrie Cioffi at [email protected].

About Henkel

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas:
Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel employs about 47,000 people and reported sales of $21.13 billion and adjusted operating profit of $2.98 billion in fiscal 2012. Henkel's preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.

www.henkel.com/automotive

Contact
Carrie Cioffi
[email protected]
Phone: 248-840-6879

SOURCE Henkel Corporation