Patent ID: 8101006

Claim:
A centrifugal atomization process for producing a zinc powder from molten zinc comprising the steps of: a) injecting a stream of molten zinc onto a surface of a disk spinning at a rate of between about 10,000 and 15,000 revolutions per minute within a substantially closed chamber, wherein said chamber has an atmosphere therein having an oxygen content of between about 1 and 6 percent by volume, wherein a mass of molten zinc forms as a film on a surface of said spinning disk; b) ejecting said film of molten zinc from said spinning disk by the action of centrifugal force caused by said spinning disk, whereupon liquid droplets of molten zinc form in said chamber; and c) cooling said liquid droplets of molten zinc within said chamber thereby forming a particulate zinc powder, d) adding enough zinc fines of 200 mesh size or smaller to the zinc powder from step (c) to produce a final zinc powder having between about 10 and 50 percent by weight zinc particles of 200 mesh size or smaller.