KEMP develops Innozinc surface-treatment specifications for ESS enclosure frames, door hardware, brackets and fasteners. Production experience with angles and channels supports component-specific process design for corrosion protection and dimensional control. Sample assessment covers outdoor exposure, bonding continuity and electronics-related component requirements.
Corrosion, electrical safety and contamination control must be considered together with loads, maintenance and approval requirements.
Enclosure, doors and racks may require equipotential bonding. Coatings, contact geometry and assembly affect connection resistance. Verify the complete bonded joint; do not assume conductivity from the coating family alone.
Validate the assembled electrical connectionCorrosion may remain unnoticed between inspections. Define exposure, maintenance access, design life and dimensional tolerances before selecting a coating.
Review the service-life evidence belowConductive particles near batteries, PCS and BMS can cause electrical faults. Internal components need contamination and whisker-risk review as well as corrosion assessment.
Review internal-component requirements belowReview external, foundation and internal components separately. Internal parts need electrical and contamination requirements defined before coating approval.
See the component guidance belowFor hinges, door gear and earthing brackets, confirm contact resistance, assembly torque, contact preparation and ageing behaviour. Salt spray hours alone cannot establish electrical suitability.
| Item | Powder coating | Zinc flake coating (ZFC) | Hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) | Electro-zinc + conversion coating | Innozinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthing / electrical continuity | Provide and test a bonding path | System-dependentTest coated joint resistance | Verify assembled joint | Verify assembled joint | Verify by testingMetallic zinc under an inorganic layer |
| Thermal processing | Curing required | Typically thermally cured; confirm TDS | Hot-dip immersion; bath temperature and post-treatment specified for the component | Confirm the complete process | Ambient electrodeposition, approximately 25°C |
| Cut edges / damage | Repair or edge protection required | System- and damage-dependent | Zinc sacrificial protection; assess damage | Zinc sacrificial protection; assess damage | Zinc sacrificial protection; assess damage |
| Thread allowance / overtapping | Allow for coating thickness and verify thread fit | Confirm thread fit | Specify coating allowance and compatible nuts | Confirm thread fit | Verify coated thread gauges |
| Heat-related distortion risk | Depends on curing and geometry | Depends on curing and geometry | Assess hot-dip thermal effects | Reduced thermal exposure; assess part | Reduced thermal exposure; assess part |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) | Confirm material compliance requirements | Specification-dependent | Confirm post-treatment specification | Confirm conversion-coating chemistry | Cr(VI)-free specification available |
| Hydrogen embrittlement considerations | Assess material and pretreatment | Non-electrolytic deposition; assess pretreatment | Assess material and pretreatment | Control pretreatment and electrodeposition | Qualification requiredElectroplating process; see application limits |
Compare coating thickness, adhesion, corrosion after damage and assembled-joint resistance under the actual component conditions to define the application specification.
Define the corrosion grade, specimen tests and field-observation plan around salt exposure, condensation, damage, operation and maintenance conditions.
| Reference | Conditions | Reported result | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000-hour salt spray comparison | Customer's test facilitySide-by-side HDG and Innozinc specimens, including scratches | No red rust at Innozinc scratchesHDG comparison: red rust +++ | Customer in-house evaluation |
| Five-month service observation | Installed marine hardware | No visible corrosion reported | Visual observation, not lifetime measurement |
| Corrosion after damage | Hammer impact, bending and abrasion | No rust observed at tested impact / bend areasLocalized corrosion at abrasion; no spread during the evaluation | In-house testing |
| Salt spray guidance: Innozinc-h | High-corrosion-resistance grade | 1,500–2,000 hr | Grade guidance; confirm test report and conditions |
| Angles and channels: production references | Telecom and construction production experience | Production reference | Manufacturing and geometry experience |
| Special-container structural components | Hydrogen-transport container structuresFrames, brackets and pipes; references from February 2025 | Supply reference | Manufacturing and geometry experience |
| Long-term outdoor durability assessment | Exposure, damage and maintenance conditions | Agree the assessment plan | Component-specific assessment |
| ESS component assessment | Exposure, damage and maintenance conditions | Agree the assessment plan | Component-specific assessment |
Production experience with telecom and construction angles, channels and frames supports geometry-specific plating and dimensional and assembly-quality planning for ESS components.
Share drawings, material, strength class, quantity and service environment to receive technical documents, sample-treatment and assessment options, and production supply conditions.
Set electrical safety, particle-control and whisker requirements before selecting coatings for internal racks, trays and supports.
Zinc whiskers can grow from some zinc-coated surfaces. These metallic filaments are electrically conductive and may create faults if detached near electronics.
Assess particle pathways, enclosure design and equipment requirements for the actual ESS installation.
Develop component-specific plating specifications and sample assessments around equipment layout, coating condition, fabricated areas and particle-control requirements.
For internal racks, cable trays, rods and hangers, define whisker and contamination requirements first.
Request the technical background guidance and agree any additional testing with the equipment designer.
Earthing-bar brackets require measured electrical continuity and contamination review. No coating family should be accepted or excluded by name alone.
External bases, frames and anchors need their own corrosion, damage, load and material-grade assessment.
Choose specifications by exposure and function, not one coating for the complete enclosure.
| Area | Component | Candidate specification | Supporting reference / qualification need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enclosure exterior | Door gear, hinges, locks and keepers | Innozinc | Comparable marine hardware; confirm component-specific requirements |
| Exterior: coastal, island and offshore sites | As above | Innozinc-h | Review salt exposure and galvanic interfaces |
| Enclosure structure | Angles, channels and frames | Innozinc-h Start with qualification samples | Production geometry references in telecom / construction; confirm ESS sample acceptance |
| Enclosure exterior | Louvres, vent frames and cable-gland brackets | Innozinc | Assess cut-edge protection and dimensional fit |
| Foundation / base | Anchor bolts, base frames and skids | Innozinc | Review field cuts, loads and repair procedure |
| Interior: electrical continuity required | Earthing-bar brackets and bonding hardware | Innozinc | Confirm measured resistance under specified assembly conditions |
| Interior: near electronics | Battery rack frames, trays and threaded rods | Prior technical review | Define whisker and contamination requirements |
| All locations | High-strength fasteners, class 10.9 and above | Process qualification required | Customer specification and approval criteria |
| All locations | Sliding surfaces under repeated metal-to-metal wear | Prior application review | Assess coating thickness and wear independently |
Confirm these requirements before production approval or installation.
High-strength fasteners require hydrogen-embrittlement control and process qualification across pretreatment, plating and post-treatment, based on the customer specification, material and heat-treatment condition.
Measure contact resistance on the actual assembly with the specified contact surfaces, mating materials and tightening torque. Assess electrical continuity before and after environmental exposure against customer acceptance criteria.
Whisker suppression and electrical insulation require dedicated measured validation on the actual components. A ceramic/inorganic coating description alone does not establish these properties.
Long-term ESS service performance requires project-specific field validation. SST hours do not establish service life or maintenance-free duration; assessment includes exposure, damage and maintenance conditions.
Candidates include angles and structural channels, door gear and exterior frames, base frames and anchors, and bonding hardware. Agree material, mechanical, electrical and exposure requirements before sample evaluation.
Use supporting documents to define the qualification plan with your design and quality teams.
| Evaluation topic | Supporting document | Evidence type | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| No scratch red rust at 1,000 hr in the cited test | Shipping customer's in-house test (June 2025) | Customer evaluation | Report available |
| No rust at tested impact / bend areas | KEMP damage-condition evaluation | In-house evaluation | In-house photographs available |
| 26-analyte screening; confirm report scope and detection limits | Third-party analysis | Third-party report | Test report available |
| Metallic zinc beneath inorganic coating | Electrodeposited zinc + inorganic coating | Coating-system description | Coating-system structure |
| Assembled-joint resistance (mΩ) | Contact surfaces, mating materials and torque | Component-specific assessment | Customer specification and approval criteria |
| Whisker mitigation review | Develop component-specific plating specifications and sample assessments around equipment layout, coating condition, fabricated areas and particle-control requirements. | Dedicated measurement and assessment | Agree the assessment plan |
| Long-term outdoor durability assessment | Exposure, damage and maintenance conditions | Field observation and long-term assessment | Agree the assessment plan |
| Angle / channel production references | Telecom and construction production experience | Production reference | Production reference |
| Special-container structural supply | Hydrogen-transport structures; references from February 2025Frames, brackets and pipes; general Innozinc | Supply reference | Supply reference |
| ESS component supply planning | Drawings and component specifications | Production volume and delivery schedule | Project-specific plating and supply specifications |
| ESS component assessment | Exposure, damage and maintenance conditions | Component-specific assessment | Agree the assessment plan |
| Hydrogen embrittlement qualification | Material, heat treatment, pretreatment and post-treatment | ISO 15330 | Process qualification required |
Share drawings, material, strength class, quantity and service environment to receive technical documents, sample-treatment and assessment options, and production supply conditions.
Agree a sample plan and assess coated parts against your inspection and acceptance criteria.
Request coating comparisons, damage-evaluation photographs and whisker guidance. Share the component and intended exposure so relevant documents can be identified.
Agree representative parts, sample quantity, fees, shipping and turnaround before dispatch.
Define joint-resistance criteria and exposure testing with your engineering team. Review sample results before production approval.
Questions from design and quality teams.
Find the service environment and technical review points closest to your project.
