The idea of a specialised coating is for the surface of metals to be permanently enhanced by them. This can be used on other substrates as well and on many components and equipment, too. These specialised coatings, in effect, act as a deterrent and solve wear, corrosion, lubricant and release problems. But to choose the best coating for you, the most important things which must be taken in to consideration is the operating environment.
Put a Coat on!
Surface coating usage has grown enormously in the automotive industry over the last fifty years. Initially, the internal combustion engine was usually manufactured from cast iron, forged steels and die-cast aluminium alloys – Heat treatment provided the wear surface for these elements along with white metal or bronze bearings. They were oiled and lubricated to allowance clearance between moving surfaces. Half a century later, this method is still used today, though we need and expect more out of our cars. We expect them to last longer, drive considerably more substantial distances and we need them to abide by our emissions regulations now, too – no mean feat! In case that wasn’t enough, we expect our cars to do all of this with less fuel and lighter engines which have a lower tolerance to engineering and lower friction between their moving parts. Due to this, a wider range of materials and coating variety have been required by us all, so that the wear, corrosion and friction problems and expectations could be overcome.
Automotive Parts and Protective Coatings
Piston rings, skirts and pins are coated frequently by hard-wearing, low friction coatings. This is to help the initial running-in and advocates long-life performance. It also helps with lower oil lubrication levels which are commonly associated with cold engine starts and reduces the amount of lubricant allowed to enter the combustion chamber. Ceramic coatings provide the thermal insulation of piston crowns, usually in diesel engines, where increased and high temperature thermal spray or vacuum use methods are often practiced.
Mating cylinder linings can be coated with electrolytic or electroless plated composite finished which incorporate hard particles of silicon carbide, diamond or boron nitride. The engines design and performance influence are what enable the design engineer to make the coating choice.
Bio fuels have caused a large amount of corrosive issues with the fuel input systems, fuel storage and fuel delivery systems. There are a great array of thin coatings which can be applied to these areas in order to prevent corrosion from occurring such as electroless nickel plating which is often enhanced with the use of powder coating or e-coat top coats.
Contact us
us are leading suppliers who are experts in electroless nickel plating. We are a Derbyshire based company who undertake many processes to the highest spec for you. These include diffused nickel plating, shot blasting, nickel boron plating, nickel diamond plating and so much more. So, if you are interested in finding out more about these processes then give our friendly and professional staff a call on our phone number or . Alternatively, you can click here and go directly to our website to find out more about us and our processes.