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Modern art has long been a discipline where materials and substrates are innovative. While galvanized metal is best known for how it’s applied in infrastructure and construction, it’s also known for its ability to serve that innovative purpose with the introduction of “Bloom,” a hot dip galvanized art piece in downtown Reno, Nev.
This glowing bloom of shoots and bulbs recently won the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) Artistic award, and AZZ Galvanizing – Reno played a critical role in the finished project by fabricator Michael Christian of Xian Productions.
The “Bloom” piece consists of four parts, including a bottom base, shoots, stalks and blooms. Oblong pieces of plasma welded together comprise the bottom vase, creating a coarse and bark-like texture.
The shoots in the next part were created using bent quarter-inch wires welded together with a steel ring.
Next, the stalks are round tubes in a variety of lengths to illustrate “growth.” At the top, fabricated wires form the blooms, which have lights inside that can dim and glow throughout the night.
Christian, the fabricator, selected hot dip galvanizing because of the environment. Reno is a desert city that has its share of extreme weather, including intense heat, heavy rains, and severe cold and snowstorms. The zinc coating from the galvanizing is robust enough to protect the piece from those elements. Zinc actually corrodes 30 times slower than steel!
Christian knew the value of the extended corrosion protection offered by galvanizing, but also wanted a uniform coating. AZZ advised him regarding how the coating would look on different steel surfaces, and, after thorough discussions, he decided to sandblast the entire piece for more consistency in its final coat. In the end, this last step helped deliver the most uniform appearance.
Beyond the aesthetics and erosion protection, galvanizing the installation ensured sustainability and provided a quick turnaround time. The investment in galvanizing was both cost-effective and will reduce the need for expensive maintenance.
AZZ has a world-class, proprietary hot dip galvanizing process known as GalvXtra. The hot dip process includes prepping and cleaning the surface to ensure it’s a smooth as possible, then submerging the steel parts in a bath of molten zinc, where it remains until it reaches 840° F.
At this temperature, the zinc and steel react, developing a zinc/iron intermetallic layer on all surfaces. After dipping, every piece goes through a thorough inspection.
AZZ focuses on creating a stronger, safer world, evidenced by our focus on protecting infrastructure from corrosion. This project was a unique, artistic way to show the possibilities of galvanizing.
Learn more about AZZ’s capabilities by exploring our hot dip galvanizing capabilities.
It’s a simple concept – when you choose AZZ, you’re choosing highly automated operations that leverage large-scale production, fast turnaround times, reduced logistical burdens and costs, and a finished product that protects and extends the life of application-critical components.
AZZ is proud to offer unmatched powder coating, plating, e-coating, wet coating, duplex coating, military specification coating, coating removal and surface preparation, ensuring that you have the right solution that not only supports your vision and unique goals, but exceeds expectations.
We function as an extension of your facility, engaging with you as a collaborative supply chain partner to bring you unparalleled efficiency.
As a division of AZZ, North America’s largest hot dip galvanizer of fabricated metals, we have an extensive operational footprint and bring the highest level of expertise to your metal coatings
We also boast many critical certifications, such as AS9100 (aerospace quality management), Caterpillar (heavy equipment), General Dynamics (aerospace and defense), ISO (quality management), NADCAP Quality (aerospace and defense) and PACCAR (automotive).
From enormous part sizes up to 60 feet in length to light and fast applications, we have a solution that will fit your needs and meet your unique challenges head on in industries from aviation and agriculture to construction, OEMs, transportation and more.
To learn more, watch the video above or contact us today at azz.com/request-more-information.
At AZZ, our first priority is maintaining the health and safety of customers, suppliers and more than 3,700 employees worldwide. Designated as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “Essential Infrastructure Business”, we are mindful of the broad impacts the industry is facing during the COVID-19 crisis yet remain committed to maintaining our high level of customer service throughout this challenging situation.
Accordingly, we are closely coordinating with our network of facilities to assess risks and implement contingency plans should the need arise. To comply with CDC guidelines, we have taken measures to increase cleaning and sterilization at our facilities, maintain physical distance between employees at our worksites, restricted non-essential travel and have limited face-to-face meetings. Despite travel limitations, our sales and project management teams are always available to assist you via email, telecommunications and video conferencing.
With the above measures in place, we are pleased that all of our Metal Coatings and Energy locations are currently operational and able to serve customers with minimal disruption. Additionally, our numerous facilities and redundant processing capabilities across various locations help ensure AZZ is well-positioned to respond to rapidly changing conditions.
We will continue to diligently monitor the situation and advise our customers, suppliers, and employees as important updates become available. As always, thank you for being a customer, supplier, or one of our 3,700 employees and for your continued trust as we manage through this time together.
In this series, we are highlighting some of those facilities, showcasing how they fit into the AZZ ecosystem and help us provide you with industry-leading services and capabilities.
Next up is our Crowley, Texas facility, which has both powder coating and galvanizing capabilities.
Let’s take a closer look.
Powder Coating Facility Added in 2017
AZZ Crowley has facilities for both powder coating and galvanizing services. Beyond the core powder coating and galvanizing capabilities, the close proximity of the two facilities allows for convenient duplex coating of metal products. This is a unique ability in the industry and allows AZZ Crowley to fill a specific niche in the AZZ ecosystem.
Beyond being a one stop shop for duplex-coating, AZZ Crowley is specially equipped to handle very large projects. The powder coating facility’s line features large scale surface preparation and a 60-foot curing oven – the largest in the United States. The galvanizing line is also equipped for large products. The facility features a 58’x7’6”x10’ kettle.
AZZ Crowley serves industries that require large parts, including agriculture, energy, building and construction, telecom, trucking and transportation.
“The goal that we wished to accomplish (with this facility) was to be able to handle the largest products that our customers could manufacture. … We can handle anything you can ship to us.” – Gordon Briggs, AZZ Metal Coatings Regional Manager
309 Industrial Blvd
Crowley, TX 76036
United States
817.297.4361
200 North Beverly
PO Box 647
Crowley, TX 76036
United States
817.297.4361
Stay tuned for future entries in our “Meet the Plant” series to see highlights from more of the AZZ facilities helping us provide state-of-the-art metal finishing solutions and more.
To learn more or find other AZZ facilities, visit azz.com/locator.
In this blog series, we’ll highlight some of those facilities, showcasing how they fit into the AZZ ecosystem and help us provide you with industry-leading services and capabilities.
First up is our Gainesville, Texas facility, a division of AZZ Surface Technologies that specializes in metal-finishing services.
Let’s take a closer look.
AZZ Surface Technologies – Gainesville provides powder coating, e-coating and electroplating that help prevent corrosion on critical metal assets.
AZZ Surface Technologies – Gainesville takes pride in its capability to coat both small and large parts. The Gainesville location also boasts the ability to do plating for zinc, zinc phosphate, nickel and electroless nickel, as well as chromate conversion and passivation.
Gainesville focuses on large-scale capabilities and speed, helping AZZ finish some of the most demanding projects in our ecosystem.
With ISO 9001, AS 9100 and Nadcap certifications, Gainesville is uniquely positioned to support partners in the aerospace and defense industries.
940-665-2030
3333 I-35 Frontage Rd.
Gainesville, TX 76240
Stay tuned for future entries in our “Meet the Plant” series to see highlight from more of the AZZ facilities helping us provide state-of-the-art metal finishing solutions and more.
To learn more or find other AZZ facilities, visit azz.com/locator.
