Coating Services
Black Carbide
Black Carbide coating technology combines the exceptional wear characteristics of HVOF tungsten carbide (WC) with Bodycote’s proprietary ceramic coating technology. The result is a coating that provides an unrivalled combination of wear and corrosion protection, with a distinctive highly polished, black finish.
- Improved wear and corrosion resistance versus existing HVOF carbide coatings
- Optimised Black Carbide surface finish to extend stator life
- Significant increase in rotor life in high chloride environments
- Distinctive, highly polished, black finish
In comparison with existing HVOF coatings, Bodycote’s Black Carbide technology has been shown to improve rotor performance even in highly corrosive operating environments such as hot chloride wells. As the industry continues to drill into deeper, more challenging environments existing coatings have proved to be ineffective. Bodycote’s Black Carbide coating technology has been developed to specifically extend rotor life and optimise the performance of the power section by preventing wear and corrosion in the most challenging operating environments.
Ceramic coatings
Bodycote offers a unique range of thermochemically formed ceramic coatings for the prevention of wear and corrosion in a wide variety of industrial applications and for every type of surface.
Bodycote ceramics are extremely cost effective where expensive downtime is caused by component corrosion and wear. Applications include down-hole tools, mud rotors, pump sleeves, MWD (measurement while drilling) equipment, and various valve components. Internal bore applications such as valve actuators and hydraulic jars, previously chrome plated and now ceramic coated have seen significant life increase. Tech17 (Chrome Seal), for mud rotors, has improved down-hole life by five times.
These exceptionally hard and wear-resistant coatings offer a number of advantages compared with other ceramics:
- Substantially improved component lifetime
- Chemically, not mechanically, bonded
- Absolutely dense, pore free, corrosion barriers
- Effective coating of complex geometries and internal bores
- Low friction; the coated surface is anti-fouling
- Protection from highly corrosive environments and chemical attack
- Superior sliding wear resistance and high electrical resistivity
- Extremely fine grain structure
The application of Bodycote ceramics is tailored according to the substrate and end use requirement of the component. Tech10 and Tech12 bond the ceramic with the metal surface by etching and penetrating into the surface grain boundaries, producing a ceramic oxide-to-metal bond which is exceptionally strong.
Some composite ceramics can be thermochemically bonded to specific areas on a part, including outside/inside diameters and some hidden holes and ports. These ceramics develop a bond into the substrate through the formation of a spinel-like interface between the ceramic coating and the metal surface.
In some cases, such as Tech17, the ceramic is used to seal existing coatings such as chrome and tungsten carbide. The ceramic seal is applied by saturating the coated area with a chemical solution at room temperature. These chemicals are then converted into ceramic by a low temperature firing process resulting in a reaction whereby the ceramic chemically bonds to both the coating and the substrate, filling any microporosity and preventing corrosives from attacking the substrate via blistering and undermining of the coating.
Thermally sprayed coatings
High Density (HD) High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF) coating:
Through an intensive development program Bodycote has produced a dense carbide coating, which is gas tight without additional sealant. This HD coating is particularly suitable for the subsea environment, specifically in deep water where components are subject to High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) working conditions.
High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF) coating:
High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) coating is a thermal spray coating process used to improve or restore a component’s surface properties or dimensions, thus extending equipment life by significantly increasing its resistance to wear, corrosion and erosion.
Molten or semi-molten materials are sprayed onto the surface by means of the high temperature, high velocity gas stream, producing a dense spray coating which can be ground to a very high surface finish.
The utilisation of the HVOF coating technique allows the application of coating materials such as metals, alloys and ceramics to produce a coating of exceptional hardness, outstanding adhesion to the substrate material, and substantial resistance to corrosion.
As the technology specialists in HVOF coating, Bodycote provides an array of spray coating materials to suit your specific needs. Backed by a customer-driven service, our facilities process a wide variety of component sizes to exacting standards with reliable, repeatable results.
Plasma spray coating:
Plasma spray is a thermal spray coating process used to produce a high quality coating by a combination of high temperature, high energy heat source, a relatively inert spraying medium, usually argon, and high particle velocities.
Plasma is the term used to describe gas which has been raised to such a high temperature that it ionizes and becomes electrically conductive.
The utilisation of plasma spray coating technology allows the spraying of almost any metallic or ceramic on to a large range of materials with exceptional bond strength, while minimising distortion of the substrate.
As the technology specialists in plasma spray, Bodycote provides an array of thermal spray coating materials to suit your specific needs. Backed by a customer-driven service, our facilities process a wide variety of component sizes to exacting standards with reliable, repeatable results.
The great advantage of the plasma spray coating technique is its ability to spray a wide range of materials, from metals to refractory ceramics, on both small and large components.
Precision Finishing
Our coating centres are equipped with turning, milling, grinding and polishing machines capable of coating removal and post-coating finishing to the highest standards.
Polymer coating
Bodycote’s Tech100 process provides a liquid dispersion coating, based on PEEK™ polymer, offering exceptional scratch, wear and corrosion resistance, low friction, anti-stick, high temperature performance, strength and durability.
Eco friendly Tech100 coatings were developed to fill the gap found in many existing coating technologies today. The main ingredient of Tech100 polymer coating is PEEK™ polymer, a linear, aromatic, semi-crystalline thermoplastic, widely regarded as one of the highest performing thermoplastics in the world. It offers a unique combination of properties to help processors and end users to reach new levels of cost savings, performance and product differentiation.
Tech100 is a one-coat system – with proper substrate pre-treatment no additional primer is required. The coating provides five times the wear resistance and four times the strength of fluoropolymers. Its chemical resistance means that it is inert in most acids and alkalis.
Organic/sacrificial coatings
Sherardizing
Sherardizing is a diffusion process in which articles are heated in the presence of zinc dust. The process is normally carried out in a slowly rotating closed container at temperatures ranging from 320-500°C.
The resultant zinc/iron alloyed coating is subsequently zinc phosphated or chromated, resulting in a clean, passivated, matt grey surface.
The coating closely follows the contours of the base material and uniform coatings are produced on articles, including those of intricate shapes. Carbon steels, low alloy steels, sintered steels, malleable grey iron and cast iron are suitable for Sherardizing. The process does not give rise to hydrogen embrittlement.
Sheraplex
The Sheraplex process is a duplex system which utilises the excellent sacrificial corrosion protection afforded by the Sherardizing process combined with an organic barrier layer.
The characteristic matt textured surface of the Sherardizing also provides an excellent key to the organic barrier layer, enhancing the performance of both processes. This barrier layer is applied by either a dip/spin or spray technique; the layer is subsequently cured at 200°C resulting in a uniform coating which allows intricately shaped and precision machined components to be treated.
The Sheraplex process has been developed to meet the requirements of the water and oil & gas industries, which have recognised the benefits of combined sacrificial protection with a barrier layer to withstand exposure to extreme environments.
Sheraplex coatings overcome the problems of substrate corrosion caused by damage to the organic layer during assembly of components, offering substantial sacrificial protection preventing substrate corrosion in the event of damage.
Xylan
Xylan is an organic barrier coating developed in multiple colours and coating thicknesses for extreme salt spray resistance in environments such as those experienced by oil & gas components.
With its unique fluoropolymer chemistry incorporating plastics and corrosion inhibitors, Xylan coatings are frequently specified as the preferred option for improving the surface properties of offshore components.
Having provided Xylan coatings to its customers for over 20 years, Bodycote has extensive experience and knowledge of the application of Xylan coatings to a wide range of components. Bodycote can supply 1070, 1424, 1052 and 5230 from the Xylan coating series.