Lightweight metals are vital for optimal operations in machine manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and several other modern industries. The primary advantage is that they allow manufacturers to reduce weight and maximize cost-efficient performance, resulting in greater performance, efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing.
Unfortunately, without an adequate surface solution, lightweight metals exhibit poor resistance to chemical and mechanical wear. Wear-resistant coating allows users to combine the favorable strength-to-weight ratio with enhanced wear resistance.
Choosing the solution is essential as the final product can vary significantly in terms of strength, thickness, application technique, and chemical composition. To help kick off your search, we’ve taken a close look at the most popular surface coatings right here.
1. Nitriding
During nitriding heat treatment, a protective layer is created by introducing nitrogen through thermochemical processes to the outer surface. This technique is popular, but the high-temperature requirement restricts possible applications. In most cases, nitriding is suitable for coating titanium products generally manufactured in low volumes. This is because titanium is the only light alloy that can resist thermal distortion at higher temperatures.
2. Hard anodizing
Hard anodizing offers excellent wear-resistance and can be used to build multiple protective oxide layers for enhanced resistance. The resulting finish is exceptionally smooth, which offers low friction and is ideal for applications that involve extreme temperatures. However, hard-anodized surface coats should not be used in heavy load applications as it can reduce the strength of the metal.
3. Electroless Nickel
This popular technique involves autocatalytic or chemical plating on titanium and aluminum. The Ni-P composite is deposited on the surface of the object as it offers excellent throwing power and uniformity. The resulting coatings offer good abrasion resistance, ductility, hardness, and natural lubricity, which makes them ideal for sliding wear applications. The main drawback is that if the coating contains any pores or breaches, it can deteriorate rapidly on light metals.
Get Premium Wear Coating Solutions in Wasilla
At PlasmaTech, we understand that accelerated wear and tear can be crippling. Not only does it result in increased costs of repair and replacement, but also substantial downtime. Our engineers offer a variety of wear coating solutions that ensure ultra-hard, robust results.
Our coatings can protect both lightweight and hard metals from erosion, galling, seizing, excessive heat, and inadequate lubrication. In particular, we specialize in wear coatings machine parts such as blades, industrial fans, and coupling shafts that undergo excessive wear. Get in touch with us today.