Fastener Coating: A “Green Transformation”
Material Upgrades, Intelligent Equipment, and System Integration
As carbon peaking and carbon neutrality become a global consensus, industrial manufacturing is entering the deep waters of a “green transformation.”
As a key segment of the foundational manufacturing sector, the fastener coating industry is facing dual pressures from environmental regulations and market competition — making energy conservation and emission reduction no longer an added value, but a survival necessity.
In the past, surface coating was often regarded as the “final step” in fastener production. However, the current industry consensus is clear: achieving green manufacturing requires looking upstream from surface processes.
Building a low-carbon, low-emission coating system — through innovations in raw materials, equipment, and process integration — has become the key to enabling fastener enterprises to achieve sustainable transformation.
1. Source Reduction: Environmental Upgrades in Pretreatment and Coating
Achieving source reduction begins with simultaneous advancements in materials and processes.
(1) Raw Material Innovation
- High-Solids & Water-Based Systems: Transitioning from traditional solvent-based coatings to water-based or high-solids formulations reduces thinner usage and can cut VOC emissions by over 30%.
- Low-Temperature Curing: Through optimized formulations, coatings can cure effectively at lower temperatures, significantly reducing energy consumption in the drying process.
- Heavy-Metal-Free Formulations: Eliminating coatings containing hexavalent chromium or lead not only lowers environmental risks but also ensures compliance with international regulations such as the EU RoHS directive.
(2) Eco-Friendly Pretreatment
- Phosphate-Free Processes: Replacing phosphate treatment with environmentally friendly degreasing and derusting agents reduces wastewater treatment costs and environmental impact.
- Integrated Cleaning Systems: Multi-functional cleaning modules shorten process steps, lower energy use, and decrease wastewater generation.
By tackling pollution at its source, companies can achieve over 30% reduction in emissions, achieving both environmental and cost advantages.
2. Process Reduction: Smart Equipment and Energy Management Reshaping Efficiency
If material reform represents “reduction,” then equipment innovation represents “control.” From energy optimization to emissions management, equipment upgrades are essential to sustainable manufacturing.
(1) Smart Energy Management
- Green Power Adoption: Integrating solar, wind, and other renewable sources to build a closed-loop factory energy system.
- Energy Storage & Peak-Shaving: Deploying storage systems to balance power loads, reducing peak energy demand and overall consumption.
- Energy-Saving Equipment Design: Utilizing high-efficiency heat exchangers, intelligent heating systems, and waste-heat recovery technologies to optimize energy use.
(2) Emission Control Across the Process
- VOC Capture and Purification: Coating and curing systems equipped with VOC collection and treatment units ensure compliant emissions.
- Energy & Carbon Monitoring: MES systems track real-time energy and carbon data, creating a closed-loop feedback system for monitoring and optimization — achieving true “carbon visibility.”
For example, coating equipment from Junhe Technology integrates modular energy-saving design and MES-based energy management, helping clients reduce overall line energy consumption by 15–25%.
3. System Reduction: Coordinated Optimization of Materials, Processes, and Equipment
Achieving truly green coating cannot rely on isolated innovations — it requires system-level collaboration among materials, processes, and equipment.
- Material: Adoption of eco-friendly coatings and pretreatment agents.
- Process: Optimization of coating and curing steps through short-process, low-temperature operations.
- Equipment: Implementation of intelligent energy and emission management systems to enable full-process monitoring and control.
This “system reduction” pathway may involve higher initial investment, but in the long term, it helps lower environmental and carbon compliance costs, enhances brand reputation, and strengthens competitiveness across the industrial value chain.
A Shift from “Quantity” to “Green”
Global manufacturing is undergoing a paradigm shift — from winning by scale to winning by sustainability. The fastener coating industry is no exception. Energy conservation and emission reduction are no longer isolated technical choices but a systematic transformation, requiring changes in production logic, technological planning, and management models.
In this green race, laggards will inevitably be eliminated, while enterprises that achieve early green transformation will gain sustainable advantages in policy, market, and cost dimensions.
Junhe Technology, as a developer and manufacturer of intelligent coating equipment and eco-friendly coating materials, is empowering fastener enterprises to advance toward the next stage of green manufacturing.
Energy efficiency, environmental protection, and intelligent automation — these are not just Junhe’s technological directions, but our enduring commitment to the industry’s future.
Post time: Oct-20-2025