Thermal Coating Systems

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      Video by Marc Willenberg

      Work area

      The global demand for even more productive and efficient highly complex technical systems is leading to a steady increase in the requirements to be met by materials and components. The manufacturing technology of thermal spraying offers unrivaled flexibility and scalability in the field of coating processes and is therefore of essential importance in meeting these needs. In addition to classic applications for aviation or wear protection, this process group is also becoming a focal point in other areas of industry such as shipbuilding and steel construction, onshore and offshore wind energy, vehicle construction, agriculture and sustainable concepts.

      © Holger Martens

      In order to meet the high demands of our customers in these areas, the Thermal Coating Systems unit not only operates high-quality laboratory equipment but also a fully PLC-integrated coating center (twin wire arc wire spraying, atmospheric plasma spraying, powder flame spraying processes) for the production of thermally sprayed coatings in accordance with the latest quality standards and the associated integrated process monitoring. The expertise built up over many years from process modifications, coating analytics and their interactions contribute to the tailored production and development of complex coating systems. The focus lies on the coherent consideration of materialographic, mechanical-technological, process engineering and quality assurance aspects of thermal spraying as a system, which serves as a guideline for daily work.

      Project overview

      Smart Coatings

      Smart Coatings

      Dual approach of laser pre-treatment and thermal spraying for the production of intelligent coatings on fiber-reinforced plastics

      As sustainability becomes increasingly significant in the shipbuilding, automotive, mechanical engineering, and rail vehicle construction sectors, there is a significant demand for intelligent product innovations aimed at resource conservation. Due to their inadequate fire protection and abrasion resistance, FRP materials can only partially fulfil these requirements. This research project is aimed at investigating the potential for thermal coating of FRP structures to broaden the materials' application in shipbuilding and pipeline construction sectors.

      In collaboration with the Fraunhofer IWS, a dual solution approach will be developed involving appropriate pre-treating of the FRP material using laser structuring to ensure full-surface layer adhesion of the thermally sprayed coatings. Preliminary test results indicate a promising layer adhesion on glass reinforced plastic (GRP) structures.

      Read more here!

      Process technology

      GTV high-performance coating center:

      • PLC-integrated and controllable
      • Recording, monitoring and documentation of process parameters
      • Manipulation via six-axis robot (torch) and rotary-tilt-positioner (component)
        • Various component holders up to 300 kg
      • Processes and torch technologies:
        • Twin Wire Arc Spray (AS): Shark 400, Shark 400 HV
        • Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS): Delta
        • Powder Flame Spray (PFS): 6PII
      • Possible variation of process gas for twin wire arc spray
      • NIR-Sensor for particle diagnostics
      • System for in-line coating thickness measurement

      Oerlikon Metco Smart Arc twin arc wire spray system:

      • Complete mobile system with PPG torch technology

      Pressure blasting system MHG SMG 100:

      • Modern pressure blasting system for component pre- and post-treatment

      Laboratory equipment

      Coating morphology and surface analytics:

      • Optical light microscope Zeiss DM6000
      • Scanning electron microscope JEOL JSM-IT100 including secondary electrons and backscatter detector as well as low vacuum mode for less conductive materials
      • 3D-Profilometer Keyence VR6000 e.g. for roughness measurements

      Chemical analyses:

      • Energy dispersive X-ray analysis Detector type JEOL SD25
      • Optical spark emission spectrometry Spectromaxx 
      • Carrier gas hot extraction system Bruker Galileo G8 for measurements of O, N, H
      • Emissions-Analyses Device MGAprime H2

      Mechanical-technological properties:

      • Hardness tester Innovatest Falcon 500
      • Universal mechanical tester / nanoindenter Zwick-Roell ZHN for nanohardness / Young's modulus determination
      • Various types of testing machines for static and dynamic tests, e.g. adhesive tensile strength, tubular coating tensile strength, bending test, fatigue strength
      • Cold gas system Isotherm TG-L63/100 for cryogenic test regimes
      • Test rig for abrasive wear according to ASTM G65

      Functional Coating Properties:

      • Resistivity meters Mitsubishi Chemical Analytech Hiresta-UX (range 103 bis 1015 Ω) and Loresta-GX (range 10-4 bis 107 Ω)
      • Residual stress measuring system Stresstech Prism using the drill hole method and ESPI
      • passive and active thermography technology Infratec VarioCAM hr 675s
      • Measuring system Kern EMB-2000-2V Laboratory balance incl. density set for determining the true density