Cattle handling products are essential in establishing an optimal, animal-focused environment. Steel solutions are crucial in dairy facilities as they provide structural support, allowing for customization throughout your barn. VES-Artex offers hot-dipped galvanized steel products with simple installation and minimal maintenance, all while keeping your cows as comfortable as possible. 

What are the Common Galvanization Processes?

• Pre-Galvanization: Completed on the production line and gives an even thin coat of galvanizing on tubing and sheet material. 
• Hot-Dipped Galvanization (HDG): Completed by dipping the material or weldment into a molten vat of zinc. This process ensures the zinc forms a thicker galvanization layer on the end product.

Here at VES-Artex, we utilize the hot-dipped galvanization process on the majority of our cattle handling steel solutions.

To further enhance the difference, below are the differences in the finishing thickness:

Finishing Type	Finishing Thickness on the Steel Product (Based on VES-Artex Current Suppliers)
Pre-Galvanization	210 – 270 g/m2
Hot-Dipped Galvanization	400 g/m2

Therefore, you can see that the main advantage of hot-dipped galvanization compared to pre-galvanization is longevity. There is almost twice as much zinc on the material to protect it from corrosion. This is excellent news for producers looking for long-term, durable cow comfort and VES-Artex always delivers on quality and durability.

What are the Benefits of Hot-Dipped Galvanization?

Chad Miles, VES-Artex Technical Product Lead, says, “We use the hot-dipped galvanized steel process on any products utilized in more corrosive areas. Since up-posts are most often cemented in and surrounded by bedding, they can hold moisture, which often causes corrosion quickly.” Hot-dip galvanized steel offers environmental sustainability, economic benefits, durability, and versatile aesthetic options, making it a top choice for various applications. 

Here’s why we use the hot-dipped galvanization method:

Sustainability: Not only does HDG provide decades of maintenance-free longevity, but its primary components, zinc and steel, are natural, abundant, and 100% recyclable. This makes hot-dip galvanized steel an infinitely renewable building material.

Durability: HDG produces a tough, durable, and permanently bonded coating, which is better than many other systems in protecting steel from damage due to the thickness of the zinc.

Versatility: Hot-dipped galvanized steel is versatile and readily available. Because of the total immersion process, even complex fabrications are coated entirely for corrosion protection.

What Positive Change Have We Made to Steel?

One big thing we changed in our finishing process is the coating we use on our hardware. In the past, we had used electroplating, while all hardware moving forward uses a process called Dacromet. 

Dacromet has proven to last much longer in harsh environments as it “reduces the speed of corrosive progress, thus exhibiting high corrosion resistance.” We have learned that the electroplating process gives the hardware a lovely appearance, but is not as corrosion-resistant as possible! Again, we constantly look to improve our products' durability and longevity, and Dacromet is a positive change for our steel and your barn. 

Miles discusses how VES-Artex keeps the customer in mind by saying, “We try to offer the end user the best, most cost-effective solution to what is needed in their harsh environment. We owe it to the customer to ensure the products they purchase look good and last as long as possible!”

Producers know the importance of having durable and safe equipment in their facilities because profits are certainly affected by the costs of replacing and repairing fences, stalls, and water troughs. Designed with low maintenance and cow comfort in mind, we strive to encourage the natural behaviors found in pasture environments. You can find a certified dealer near you to discuss the best steel solutions for your barn.