APPLICATIONS BY INDUSTRY
Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd operate across a wide range of industries with volume requirements from bespoke applications to full production running into thousands of components per year. Whilst thermally applied coatings are increasingly being used across the spectrum of industry we have worked closely with a selection of industries and, in doing so, have become coating specialists within these areas. Our key areas lay in the following industry sectors.
Click on an INDUSTRY TYPE for detailed properties
Aerospace
Automotive
Biomedical
Chemical Processing
Electronic & Electrical
Heavy Duty Diesel Engine
Oil & Gas
Power Generation
Printing/Pulp & Paper
Steel
Textiles
AEROSPACE
As one of the first industries to fully adopt thermally sprayed coatings into the design of precision engineered components, aerospace applications have been at the focus of the companies activities. There are over 100 key thermally sprayed applications within aerospace turbine engines, without these coating today turbine engines would not operate to the required standards. These functional coatings are used throughout the engine including the high temperature environments.
Typical applications include:
- Wear control (fretting, sliding, impact etc)
- Corrosion control
- Thermal barrier / Thermal efficiency
- Oxidation / Sulfidation
- Clearance control / tipping
- Restoration / Salvage
Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd are experienced in the application of all thermally sprayed coating systems within the aerospace industry and are specialists at working with complex geometries.
Working with many OEM’s such as Rolls Royce, Westinghouse, Pratt & Whitney and G.E. the company is leading the way in developing new coating systems and analytical quality control.
RB199 Multivane with Abradable coating for clearance control
Automotive
A Dynamic industry continually seeking performance improvements and value engineering. Plasma and Thermal coatings Ltd has a close relationship with several O.E.M.'s and many ‘first tier’ suppliers to the industry. From, Formula One and Indy car racing engines to new generation electrically powered vehicles more and more designers of automotive components are towards thermally applied surface engineering to enhance performance and reduce costs.
Utilising the latest mechanical materials handling and system robotics, high volume production at low unit cost is readily achievable. Automotive quality systems and tailored service packaging developed through collaborative planning are a specialty of Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd. From initial R&D through to global system supply, training and continued support we offer the highest level of service backed up by a network of experienced application engineers and technical support.
TurboChargers
Initially derived from areospace , abradable coatings give excellent clearance control resulting in improved efficiency and performance.
Brake Discs
Ceramic coating developed as a thermal barrier and friction couple to protect this new lightweight alloy from the heat generated during braking.
Biomedical
The Thermal spray process and particularly Plasma Spray offers a system by which Bioactive and Bio-friendly coatings can be produced. Typical deposits used in this industry include Titanium alloys, Cobalt Chrome and Hydroxyapatite (HA). Plasma sprayed metallics allow a bond to be created between the implant and related tissue. The addition of a Bioactive material such as HA actually promotes bone growth at an accelerated rate.
Implants that have been successfully coated with a Plasma deposit include:-
- Femural stems
- Asceptabulor cups
- Knee joints
- Dental implants
Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd have the facilities to tailor-make coating systems specifically for the customer. Total quality is the key statement in the Biomedical industry. Plasma & Thermal Coating offer the correct environment for the processing of this type of part.
Protheses
Porous titanium hydroxyapatite coating used on medical implants to increase bio-compatability and/or bio-activity, thereby improving fixation without the need of acrylic cements.
Heavy Duty Diesel Engine
Heavy duty diesel engines suffer from high levels of erosion and wear. This is due to a combination of causes such as high combustion temperatures, poor quality fuel and the variable heavy loads the engines are subjected to. Heavy duty diesel engines such as those used in locomotives, marine and earth moving equipment are increasing their use of functional coatings to improve performance and reliability.
Heavy duty diesel Valves
Electronic & Electrical
As most thermal spray processors utilise powders as ‘feedstock’ materials, and almost every material is now accessible in powder form, there is a near infinite number of coatings and coating composites available. The benefits of thermal spraying, to the electronic and electrical industries are now becoming exploited. Components can be coated to provide the exact level of electrical conductivity required.
Applications can be broken down into two areas.
- Conductive workings. Typically these may be copper, aluminium and zinc etc. Precise conductive paths can be created using masking techniques. These conductive coatings can be deposited onto a wide variety of substrates such as carbon fibre, glass reinforced plastics and numerous other polymeric materials.
- Insulative Coatings. Typically these may be pure ceramics, such as Alumina or Titania. As with the conductive coatings, deposits can be laid down accurately to customer specifications. Conductive and Insulative coatings can also be used together to produce a composite insulated component with an integral electrical path.
Oil & Gas
With productivity improvements a constant target; long life, reliability and reduced ‘down time’ are key issues. Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd have worked closely with exploration, drilling and processing companies to provide tailored solutions for applications as diverse as valves, drilling heads, pumps, compressor rods and hydraulic components. This technically demanding field requires the highest quality engineering coatings.
Typically HVOF coatings are employed, these high density well bonded deposits can operate in the most extreme environments (high pressure, erosion, corrosion, abrasion etc). These coatings can be finished machined to the highest standards in accordance with application specifications. Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd are proficient in the full processing of precision components from manufacture, coating and finish machining.
Ball Valve: Selection of Ball valves awaiting processing
Chemical Procession Industry
Components within the chemical industry are generally exposed to many difficult, strongly interacting wear mechanisms: Corrosion, Erosion etc. Although corrosion attacks can be kept within limits by a suitable choice of base materials (ie special alloy), erosion caused by a solid particle suspended in a medium (gas or liquid) can be a serious problem.
Typical parts that suffer from wear in this, often highly aggressive environment are shafts and pumps. By identifying the media that is being pumped, Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd are able to select a coating that will ensure high component protection. Coatings can be polished to provide a suitable surface for a seal. Reclaimation work is often carried out on high value components in addition to the application of coatings onto new components.
Chemical processing vessels are often subjected to chemical corrosion. The costs associated with manufacture of these large vessels from chemical resistant material can be significant. Thermally applied coatings are for more cost effective and with the vast range of materials now available it is viable to spray the vessel with a sealed coating that will give excellent resistance to the chemicals contained within.
Power Generation
- Land based gas turbines
- Coal fired power stations
- Steam turbines
- Boiler tubes
- Fans / Cyclones
- High temperature applications
Many of the applications found within power generation have been derived from aerospace. For example the HVOF process has been used to create thick oxidation-resistant coatings on large turbine blades and nozzle guide vanes. As well as land based gas turbines, other methods of power generators create environments where components will endure high temperature corrosion and erosion, fine particular abrasion and general wear.
Transition Ducts - Thermal Barrier Coating applied to complex internal surface
There have been several thermally sprayed coating systems developed to combat these issues such as, Plasma sprayed nickel chrome for fireside corrosion, Ceramic coatings for fine particulate abrasions, and carbide coatings for sliding and frictional wear.
Land based gas turbine nozzle guide vane - HVOF aplied MCrAlY coating
Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd have worked closely with OEM’s such as Westinghouse to develop coating process solutions. With complex geometries, materials handling and robotics are critical in the deposition of high quality repeatable coating. The technology integration is a specialty of Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd.
Printing, Pulp & Paper
The fibrous nature of paper product can create problems of abrasion, this coupled with chemical additives can cause severe problems on many contact surfaces. Rolls are typically coated with wear resistant materials to combat this effect. As well as rolls, doctor blades, knives and guides all suffer from abrasion. Coatings are also used for ink retention, release qualities and to provide a friction drive.
Tungsten Carbide roll ground to mirror finish
Printing process in operation
Anilox rolls for example utilise the unique properties of plasma sprayed chrome oxide. The dark colour and high density of this deposit allows it to be laser engraved. The coating also improves the wear performance of the roll. Tungsten Carbide is used as an alternative to hard chrome due to it’s speed of deposition and it being kinder to the environment.
Steel Industry
Situated in South Wales, Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd is ideally located to service the UK steel industry. Currently operating within both the foundry and metal processing divisions, a full service is offered tailored to meet customer requirements.
The thermal spray process is suited to the coating of large surface areas. This wide range of functional coatings offers a cost effective, rapid solution to an increasing number of wear related issues within the industry.
Typical appliances include:
- Rolls (journals and faces)
- Guides
- Chutes
- Repair and Salvage
- High temperature / High wear
In addition to the ‘traditional’ coating applications Plasma & Thermal Coatings Ltd are happy to engage in new application and/or coating development.
Various Rolls coated with Tungsten Carbide for wear resistance
Textiles
Thermally sprayed coatings have been used successfully against wear on textile machinery for years. In particular plasma spraying is used to deposit ceramic coatings that can be matched to specific requirements and finished to required surface textures.
Grooved roller coated and finished with Alumina or Chrome Oxide
Considerable abrasive wear is often the cause of worn components, for example, high rotational speed of grooved rollers results in considerable abrasion wear which is seen as an increase in the groove diameters. Due to the very high rational speed, the roller has to be made from aluminium and therefore, the reduction in wear can only be achieved by the deposition of a coating. Alternatives such as plating are often unsuitable due to the smooth, non-structured surface leading to poor co-efficients of friction.
Texturising Rings
