Once the BlueScope Steel tour was completed, the group headed to the Kemblawarra Portuguese Sports and Social Club for a lunch supplied by the Young Corrosion Group (YCG), which was a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other a bit more.
Once lunch was completed, the group made its way to a function room to commence the second part of the tour: Industrial Galvanisers. Here, Matthew Cole of Industrial Galvanisers gave the group a brief introduction to the world of galvanising – how the process works, and how to design for structures that require galvanising.
Mr Cole’s presentation was followed by questions and a safety induction for the YCG/YPF group in order to attend the site. Once at the Industrial Galvanisers yard, the YCG/YPFers were given all of the required safety gear and a tour of the site. The tour started off by Industrial Galvanisers personnel preparing metal prior to galvanising, including removing any coatings, oils, etc. Once completed, the metal was then hooked onto structures ready to be galvanised. Once the metal is connected, it goes into an acid bath (flux) to clean the metal and is then dried, placed in the galvanising bath for a period of time and quenched. The galvanised metal is then stored appropriately until it is required for use.
The day finished with a relaxed drink and discussion back at the sports club before the Sydney-based members began their drive home.
Many thanks to the NSW Australian Corrosion Association, who sponsored lunch, and Industrial Galvanisers, who gave up their time to give the tour.