Zincoat: leveraging science to protect our critical assets
Innovative Indigenous-owned start-up Zincoat Pty Ltd is leveraging the power of science to protect the carbon steel and hot dipped galvanising (HDG) in Australia’s critical infrastructure, including bridges, electricity transmission towers and other assets.
Zincoat is a zinc-rich coating system (containing at least 96% zinc in the dry film) that offers a high-performance solution to the perennial risk of atmospheric corrosion. Co-founder Uncle Mick Morris, who has 30 years’ experience in the field, brought the coating technology from Europe in the 1990s and has since enhanced its capabilities.
In a major endorsement, Zincoat has secured a substantial contract with Transgrid, which operates and maintains Australia’s largest electricity network. The coating is specified for rejuvenation of thousands of transmission towers.
Zincoat has also been specified for maintenance of Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge; is in use on the Burdekin River Bridge, also in Queensland and soon on the Scrivener Dam in Canberra.
Uncle Mick says Zincoat can eliminate the need for heavy, preparatory blasting and its unique properties allow it to be used on structural steel in almost any situation. Along with bridges and towers, it is being evaluated by the Australian Defence Force, including for assets exposed to marine conditions.
He also sees significant potential in the mining industry, given the reliance of major companies like BHP on structural steel in machinery such as belt conveyors.
“Zincoat’s properties are comparable to HDG, making it highly efficient to use and giving it excellent longevity,” Uncle Mick says. “It can be rejuvenated indefinitely in approximately 30-year intervals, which is probably conservative, whereas conventional paint coatings typically last less time and require abrasive blasting for renewal.”
For new steel, two coats can be typically applied only an hour apart, compared to three or four coats a day apart with conventional systems.
The efficiency dividends in largescale maintenance – both time and cost – can be substantial. Through product enhancements, Zincoat may also be applied to new HDG steel to replenish depleted galvanising or replace loss and rectify damage.
Effectively, “galvanising in a can”, Zincoat provides cathodic protection through a self-sacrificing electrochemical process in which the zinc is sacrificed in preference to the steel. It is also moisture tolerant, making it suitable for tropical regions or conditions where dew is present, enabling night-time application common in rail and road works. Zincoat’s reversible binder is what enables repeated rejuvenation without abrasive blasting.
It is manufactured in NSW, with Australia being only one of two global production centres for this type of coating. Largescale production is expected to begin next year to support the company’s expanding activities.
Uncle Mick is proud that the business he co-founded with his wife, Rosi Buttula, is underpinned by strong Christian values, including honesty and community service. A key priority is creating employment pathways for Indigenous people in projects where Zincoat is used.
For example, Uncle Mick says where new transmission infrastructure for renewable energy transverses Indigenous lands, local Aboriginal workers could pre-apply Zincoat to steel, on location, as towers are assembled.
“We are where we are because of Supply Nation. The fact Zincoat Pty Ltd is certified as an Aboriginal owned, controlled and operated business, puts us in an incredible position as the only First Nations producer of protection coatings in Australia,” he says.
Zincoat is also pursuing export opportunities and was one of five businesses selected for the Advance Export pilot program, an initiative between Ernst & Young, Supply Nation and the Export Council of Australia to build the export readiness of promising Indigenous-owned businesses.
