Heavy-duty industries such as aerospace, energy, oil and gas, and manufacturing require protective coatings for their critical parts.
Parts used in these industries are exposed to a tremendous amount of stress, wear, and extreme conditions. Without a protective coating, parts will wear down, causing stress to critical equipment, which often leads to costly downtime and expensive repairs.
Two of the best types of protective coatings to ensure the integrity of parts are plasma spray and HVOF (high-velocity oxygen fuel). Consider when to use plasma spray vs. HVOF to strengthen your parts.
Plasma Spray for Parts Under Extreme Heat Stress
One of the best examples of using plasma spray to support a critical part is the turbine engine used in airplanes.
The aerospace/aviation industry uses plasma spray to treat turbine engines so that the turbine can withstand the extreme amount of heat and force required to help push a large aircraft off the ground and into the air.
During this process, the pressure inside the engine rises significantly. Done over a long period of time at extreme conditions, the combination of heat, force, and pressure could affect the integrity of the part.
However, plasma spray coating increases the longevity of the part and ensures durability by coating the part at an extremely high temperature — up to 27,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The part is essentially refined through fire to extend life and durability. When placed back into the equipment, the coated part is extremely resistant to conditions that otherwise would wear down the part without coating.
– Similarly in other heavy-duty industries (such as energy, oil and gas, and manufacturing), the application of plasma spray to critical parts creates a heat barrier and increases corrosion resistance. This allows equipment to continue to reach peak performance.
HVOF for Parts Susceptible to Wearing Down
HVOF is ideal for increasing the surface strength of parts that are necessary to support equipment and are susceptible to wear, damage, and abrasion. For example, the shafts used in aircraft landing gear.
The landing gear needs to function properly when faced with an extreme amount of force and pressure helping land a large plane. To prevent wear or breaking, landing gear should be protected with HVOF coating.
The application of this thermal spray coating is evenly distributed across the substrate to produce an extremely hard surface that can withstand extreme conditions.
HVOF also creates a very tight molecular bond, increasing the part’s wear resistance. This is ideal for the landing gear shaft to withstand extreme force over a repeated period of time.
– Similarly in oil and gas, HVOF is used to treat critical parts that perform an important function, such as ball valves. These parts are used to support the functionality of valves, which control the flow of the product.
When coated, ball valves are more capable of withstanding extreme conditions to continue supporting the critical function of flow control.
Find Answers on When to Use Plasma Spray vs. HVOF
Our team of knowledge coating experts can help you identify the right choice of plasma spray or HVOF protective coating for your critical parts.
Contact us today to discuss the parts that need service, the use of the parts, and when you need service completed by. We will work with your team to ensure prompt service and delivery.
