BASF surface-treatment business unit Chemetall opens aluminum technology center in Italy – Chemical Engineering

February 16, 2024 | By Mary Bailey

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, celebrated the opening of its new Global Aluminum Competence Center in Giussano, Italy. The state-of-the-art facility will strengthen Chemetall’s position as a global supplier of solutions for the surface treatment of aluminum substrates.

The Aluminum Competence Center was established to bundle Chemetall’s comprehensive competences in the area of surface treatment of aluminum in one place. After the intensive analyses of existing capacities, development priorities as well as customer and market requirements, the existing Chemetall site Giussano was identified as the best option. With the centralization of the research and development activities for aluminum, Chemetall is positioned to develop technologies faster and more efficiently resulting in transformative innovations in the field of anodizing and pretreatment of this special substrate.

“The new global Aluminum Competence Center will allow us to bring new surface treatment solutions to the market faster. The centralization of our research and development activities for aluminum will result in pioneering technologies that solve the challenges of our global customers, provide solutions for their needs and most of all deliver long-lasting sustainable value,” says Frank Naber, Senior Vice President of Chemetall.

“The Aluminum Competence Center at our Giussano site is a strategically important step towards further expanding our technological leadership. As a lightweight metal with high availability, aluminum plays an important role in architectural, aerospace, and automotive construction. Aluminum is normally used in alloys because pure aluminum has different mechanical properties compared to materials like steel. Depending on the specific alloy, not only do the mechanical properties change, but also the chemical and corrosion characteristics of aluminum. This presents chemical challenges for pretreatment solutions. Our new technology center will enable us to better manage the complexity of this material and empower our team to set new standards in the industry,” says Arjan Termaten, Director & Head of Global Technology at Chemetall.

“We are very proud to play a key role in the research and development for our global aluminum business in Giussano. Our team has great expertise in development and application technologies and has achieved remarkable success in areas such as neutral cleaners and plastic recycling. In close collaboration with our global technology teams and through partnerships with universities and research communities we will provide new, innovative technologies for the aluminum market,” explains Daniela Polzot, Managing Director of Chemetall Italy.

Chemetall is a global provider of surface treatment solutions with a comprehensive product range of advanced pretreatment solutions like the chrome-free thin-film Oxsilan® AL0510 and anodizing technologies like nickel-free medium temperature sealing Gardoseal® 1999 for the aluminum industry. In Italy, more than 70 Chemetall employees, including 15 technology experts, contribute to providing surface treatment solutions for a broad range of industries to the market. The new Global Aluminum Competence Center meets the strict quality requirements QUALICOAT, GSB and QUALANOD of the aluminum finishing industry.

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