Crystal Potassium Fluoroborate For Flux Application 2.47 Specific Gravity
Description
Potassium fluoroborate (KBF4) is usually used in aluminium-metallurgy, for the
production of abrasives, soldering agents and ceramics, and in the chemical
industry.
Potassium fluoroborate is used in the the following applications:
-
- Aluminium-metallurgy:
- as component in fluxing and grain refining agents
- for aluminium and magnesium
- as component in protecting salts for light metal castings
-
- Production of soldering agents:
- as component in fluxing agents for soldering and brazing
2. Specification:
Item | specification |
KBF4 | ≥98% |
Na | ≤0.001% |
Si | ≤0.15% |
Cl | ≤0.05% |
Ca | ≤0.05% |
Pb | ≤0.01% |
SO4 | ≤0.01% |
Mg | ≤0.01% |
H2O | ≤0.05% |
3. Applications
Aluminium Industry
Inorganic fluorine compounds play an outstanding role in the aluminum industry.
They are frequently encountered not only in the manufacture, but also in the
processing and finishing of aluminum.
The manufacture of aluminum on a commercial scale was first made possible with
the introduction of cryolite at the end of the 19th century. Cryolite as the essential
component of the electrolyte (85 – 90 %) decreases the temperature of the smelting
flux electrolysis.
Other important additions to electrolytes in current commercial use are aluminum
fluoride, calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride. These fluorides increase the
conductivity of the electrolyte and improve the efficiency of the used energy. The
aluminum so produced has a purity of between 99.5 and 99.9 %. Refining, that is to
say the thorough cleaning and improvement of aluminum, is carried out for example
by a process of three-layer fused-salt electrolysis. This method represents the only
commercially viable process for the production of pure aluminum. Further
electrolyte components from our product range which may be used are barium
fluoride or calcium fluoride. Aluminum produced by this method has a purity of
between 99.99 and 99.999 %.
Casting Technology
In the aluminum industry, salt covers are used as an aid in casting. The salt covers
are a mixture of substances which protect molten aluminum alloys from oxidizing.
The molten salt mixture also prevents gases from entering the bath, reduces heat
losses from the surface of the molten metal
and absorbs impurities which rise to the surface of the melt. Suitable salt covers are
fluxes containing cryolite or sodium fluorosilicate. The melting points of these fluxes
are reduced by the addition of, for instance, sodium chloride or potassium chloride
to such an extent that they liquefy at
the prevailing working temperatures.
Surface Treatment
Hydrofluoric acid and ammonium bifluoride are the bath constituents for the surface
treatment of pure aluminum. Bright reflective surface on the aluminum is achieved
by chemical polishing. Inorganic fluorides are also of critical importance in the flux
brazing of aluminum and aluminum alloys, acting to remove the oxide layer.
Abrasives Industry
In recent decades there has been a steady increase in the quality of abrasives. This
is especially true for elastically and fixed bonded abrasives, and is due in no small
part to the use of abrasively active filler materials such as Solvay-Cryolite.
Abrasively active fillers are today encountered in almost all high performance
abrasives employed in the grinding of metals. Fixed bonded abrasives are abrasive
bodies which are produced in a wide variety of forms. Examples of abrasives held
on substrates are abrasive papers (generally without abrasively active filler
materials), abrasive belts and abrasive fibers. Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide,
produced by fusion processes in electric furnaces, are the main abrasive grains
employed.