Different methods of galvanizing

As stated above, there are several different processes for galvanizing steel.

1-Hot-Dip Galvanizing
The first and foremost method for galvanization is hot-dip galvanizing. The process is very similar to what the name suggests! In this method, steel or iron is dipped in a molten pool of zinc that maintains a temperature of around 860°F (460 °C). This molten bath begins a metallurgical bond between the zinc and the receiving metal. After the metal is pulled from the bath, it reacts to being exposed to the atmosphere, and the pure zinc mixes with oxygen to form zinc oxide. The zinc-oxide further reacts to carbon dioxide and forms zinc carbonate, which makes up the final protective coating on the material. The tell-tale sign of a hot-dipped galvanized material is the presence of a crystalline-like pattern on the surface, sometimes referred to as “spangle.”

2-Pre-galvanizing
Also similar to the hot-dip galvanizing method, but performed at the very first stage of production. Pre-galvanizing is a process that involves rolling the sheet metal through a cleaning agent to quickly prime material for galvanizing. Then, the metal is passed through a pool of molten liquid zinc and is immediately recoiled. The primary advantage of this method is that coils of steel sheet can be rapidly galvanized on a large scale with a more unified coating than the traditional hot-dipped method.

3-Electrogalvanizing
The most unique of these outlined methods, electrogalvanizing does not involve dipping the material in a molten vat of zinc. Instead, an electric current is introduced to an electrolyte solution that is applied to the steel, which reduces positively charged zinc ions to zinc metal – which is then deposited on the positively charged steel. Like pre-galvanizing, this method is typically done at the first stage of production.