JFE Steel announced on Friday the firm developed high potential electrogalvanized steel sheet, named Eco Frontier JX. Eco Frontier JX represents double high corrosion resistance compared with conventional EG steel sheets and much higher pressing formability. The product is involved in JFE Steel’s Eco Frontier series which is a lineup of chromate free steel sheets without environmentally hazardous substances. The firm tries to appeal the product for refrigerating show cases or motor cases, for those which high corrosion resistance and formability are required. The sales target is 10,000 tonnes per month three years later.
Existing EG sheets need to thicken a chemical coating layer on the surface in order to increase corrosion resistance. Thicker chemical coating makes spot welding difficult since zinc coating lowers electrical conductivity of the steel surface. JFE Steel newly developed eNano technology to make a special nano-size molecular layer on the surface of the zinc plated layer. eNano technology can reduce penetration of oxygen and water, those which cause corrosion, while the technology can keep electrical conductivity by thin thickness of zinc coating. Oil coating and alkali degreasing processes can also be skipped at the users thanks to the new coating. JFE Steel has eight types of EG sheets and two types of hot dipped galvanizing steel sheets as Eco Frontier series and adds JX.