Fengfan OX-401 is a low-foam anionic surfactant used as a carrier in acid zinc plating. It arrives as a red-brown, transparent, water-soluble liquid with a solid content of at least 60%, and it goes into the bath rather than onto the parts, so metal plating services can cover rack lines, barrel lines and continuous work from a single drum.
The product has two working identities. Dosed at brightener level it carries the brightening side of the bath and can be run on its own or with an emulsifier; dosed at softener level it supports the overall balance of the bath. Outside straight acid zinc, the same chemistry is used in acid zinc-nickel alloy and in acid copper plating, which is why plants with more than one bath often hold a single drum of it. For buyers assembling acid zinc plating chemicals into a working package, this is the component that keeps the organic side of the bath distributed and under control.
| Appearance at 25 °C | Red-brown to red-brown transparent viscous liquid |
| Physical form | Viscous liquid |
| Odour | Slight |
| Solid content | ≥60% |
| pH (1% aqueous solution) | 6.0–8.0 |
| Specific gravity at 25 °C | >1.1 g/cm³ |
| Solubility | Water-soluble |
| Working bath pH | 5.5–6.5 |
| Working temperature | 20–35 °C |
| Systems covered | Acid zinc, acid zinc-nickel alloy, acid copper |
Foam is the quiet cost in an acid zinc line. It lifts out of the tank with the work, dries into a film that has to be rinsed off, and in barrel work it traps air where the parts rub together. A low-foam carrier keeps the working surface of the bath clear, which matters most in industrial metal plating, where agitation is vigorous, tank freeboard is tight or the barrel turns fast.
The second job is emulsification. Acid zinc plating chemicals depend on brighteners based on OCBA (o-chlorobenzaldehyde) and BAR (benzylideneacetone), and a brightener is only useful while it stays distributed through the bath; once it drops out or floats, brightness becomes patchy and the addition stops earning its place. This product emulsifies and disperses both, so the brightener stays available in the working volume instead of collecting at the surface or on the tank wall. Combined with its leveling and deep-plating behaviour, that is what carries brightness into recessed faces and low-current areas rather than leaving it on the edges of the part.
This is a zinc-plating additive, and it belongs on the zinc side of a plant. Many industrial metal plating sites run an acid zinc line for steel fittings, brackets and fixings alongside a line that finishes aluminium, and it is worth being clear about which drum goes where: the carrier described here is not an anodizing bath component and should not be dosed into an oxide tank.
Where the two processes meet is at the purchasing desk. Fengfan supplies the aluminum anodizing side as its own family — degreasing and dewaxing agents, chemical polishing additives, alkali etch additives, electrolytic colouring and the sealing agents used after dyeing. Keeping the zinc additive and the anodizing chemicals on separate lines, with separate specifications, is the practical way to avoid the cross-contamination that shows up as patchy colour or a hazy film on anodised aluminium.
| Fengfan Brightener for SZ-30B Sulfate Zinc Plating | Brightener for sulfate zinc baths, including continuous wire plating |
| Fengfan Bright Zinc Alkaline ZN 50 | Alkaline non-cyanide zinc process for rack and barrel lines |
| Fengfan Brightener for Cyanide Free Alkaline Zinc Plating ZN-500 | Cyanide-free alkaline zinc brightener with a low-current-density additive |
| Fengfan Bright Medium Phosphorus Electroless Nickel FF-6000 | Bright medium-phosphorus electroless nickel plating process |
| Fengfan Phoenix EB 204A-204B | Divalent tin salt electrolytic colouring additive for anodised aluminium |
| Fengfan Phoenix Seal 149-L | Middle-temperature sealing agent for aluminum anodizing |
| Fengfan Phoenix Seal 149-T | Medium-temperature nickel acetate sealer for anodised parts |
| Fengfan FI-970 Bright Acid Copper Plating Process | High-brightness acid copper with leveling and a buffable deposit |
| Fengfan Wood Stone Concrete Nano-Protective FF-4219 | Water-based nano protection for wood, stone and concrete |
| Fengfan Nickel Purify P3 | Purification treatment for bright nickel plating baths |
| Fengfan Chrome Mist Inhibitor FF-116 | Mist suppression for chromium plating lines |
A job shop running small fasteners through a barrel line has two recurring complaints: foam climbing out of the barrel and dull patches on the parts that sat against the barrel wall. Both trace back to the same place. When the brightener package is not fully dispersed, the bath works unevenly, and when the surfactant foams, the foam carries the brightener out of the tank with the load.
This is the situation the product was built for. Dosed at the brightener level, it holds the OCBA and BAR components in suspension and keeps foam down while the barrel turns, so the addition that was paid for stays in the bath and the parts that were shielded inside the load still see a working concentration. Shops buying acid zinc plating chemicals as a package usually start here, because the barrel line is where an unbalanced carrier shows up fastest.
Plenty of finishing shops run acid zinc next to a nickel line, and it is tempting to look for one additive that serves both. This product does not. It is a carrier for acid zinc and acid zinc-nickel work, and its job is done inside those baths; an electroless nickel plating line runs on its own chemistry, with its own reducer, complexing agent and pH window.
The practical arrangement is a bottle of this carrier at the zinc tank and the nickel chemistry kept separate. Fengfan supplies both ends of that split, including a bright medium-phosphorus electroless nickel process for shops that run the two side by side, so the two additions can be ordered together while staying in their own tanks. Buying zinc nickel plating and nickel chemistry from one supplier shortens the list without blurring the boundary between them.
Fengfan Trade is the international trading arm of Wuhan Fengfan Electrochemical Technology Co., Ltd, a name that has been in surface finishing since 1984. More than forty years in the trade gives us a practical view of what a bath needs, and it is the reason the range is organised the way it is: general metal plating, electroless plating, electronic plating, aluminum anodizing chemicals, chemical intermediates, industrial surfactants, coating chemicals, raw materials and surface treatment equipment.
The Wuhan production site works to documented standard management and a 6S shop-floor system, and batches are checked against the published specification before they are packed, so what arrives matches what was quoted. Buying across the range means one contact for the zinc tank, the anodizing line and the nickel bath, with technical data that can be handed to your own quality department. Customers reach us from China and from overseas markets, most often through a referral or a repeat order — which is the part of the business we pay most attention to.
Fengfan is committed to sustainability and innovation in surfactant manufacturing. Our low-foam anionic surfactants are designed for acid zinc plating, reducing environmental impact while maintaining high efficiency. They are a practical choice for paint chemicals suppliers who want to improve their formulations with eco-friendly components. Choosing Fengfan means working with a brand that prioritizes green solutions without compromising on performance.
Surfactants manufacturers and paint chemicals suppliers are constantly seeking products to expand their offerings, and Fengfan OX-401 serves as a versatile component in their formulations. It provides excellent wetting and dispersing properties and is suitable for applications such as alodine coating and passivation of stainless steel, where it helps ensure uniform coverage and improved adhesion. By incorporating Fengfan OX-401, manufacturers can deliver high-performance products that cater to the evolving needs of their clients.
Choosing the right match is where most sourcing decisions stall. As a trading supplier, we keep one point of contact from first enquiry to after-sales: tell us what you are making and the conditions you work under, and we shortlist the closest matches from our supplier network, compare specifications and arrange samples before you commit to a bulk order. If something does not behave as expected, we work with the supplying partner on the cause and a practical fix, and stay with the case until it is settled. Email, WeChat or WhatsApp enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.
It can be used either way. On its own it handles both the emulsifying and the brightening side of the addition, which suits a bath that has been simplified down to fewer components. Alongside an emulsifier it takes a supporting role in a package that is already built around one. The right choice depends on how your brightener package is put together, so it is worth testing both on a bath sample before you change a running line.
Yes. The product is dosed into the bath rather than applied to the parts, so the rack or barrel decision sits with your line rather than with the additive. What does change between the two is agitation: a barrel turns the solution over far more aggressively than a rack, which is exactly where a low-foam carrier earns its place.
Low foam is not the same as no foam. Start with the addition itself — a slug of viscous liquid dropped into a still tank will sit and then disperse unevenly, which can look like a foaming problem. Then check whether the bath temperature and pH have drifted out of their working window, and whether oil or cleaner has carried over from pre-treatment. If the bath is otherwise in range and the foam persists, speak to your technical contact before adding a defoamer, since that changes the surfactant balance you have just set.
Both are normal practice. Additions to a working bath are made slowly into the agitated solution, in the quantity the chosen role calls for, and the parts are checked afterwards. On a new make-up the same quantity goes in as part of the bath build. There is no requirement to drain a bath before using the product.
It is measured on a dilute solution of the product itself in water, not on your plating bath. Read it as a property of the concentrate — it tells you how the liquid behaves when it is diluted and how it will shift the balance of a package you are blending — while the bath itself is controlled to its own working pH separately.
In a cool, dry and ventilated warehouse, with the drum kept closed when it is not in use. The product is water-soluble and viscous, so the two things to keep out are moisture from a humid store and shop-floor dust that can settle on an open drum head. Bringing the drum up to ambient temperature before weighing also makes the addition easier to handle in cold weather.
