Eco friendly at Ford

The Ford Motor Company is developing a new environmentally friendly anti-corrosion technology that cuts water use in automotive paint shops by almost half and decreases the production of sludge by 90 percent.

The new technology, currently being field-tested on a small fleet of Lincoln Town Cars, takes the entire pre-treatment process down to eight steps from the current 13. Pre-treatment is critical to the paint process because it helps prevent rust and corrosion on the vehicle body.

The new process uses a zirconium oxide vehicle bath, which is more environmentally friendly than the currently used zinc phosphate. This is because zirconium oxide doesn’t contain the heavy metals – zinc, nickel, manganese – found in the phosphate bath.

As a result, there is a 40 percent savings in water usage and less waste to be processed into non-hazardous sludge and taken to landfills. Additionally, it doesn’t require heated water to work, saving energy costs.