Development of a novel Silicon Carbide thermal spraying process

“Hunprenco是一家精密工程公司，英国最大的热喷涂公司，（欧洲最大的公司之一）和世界领先的柱塞制造商碳化硅（SiC）基陶瓷作为表面涂层广泛应用于要求低摩擦和高耐磨性的应用领域（例如移动部件、金属加工工具和钢的防腐蚀保护涂层），因为它们具有高耐磨性、高温强度和抗热震性。大多数这些涂层是通过动态离子混合，射频磁控溅射或化学气相沉积。这些方法只能在有限尺寸的部件上生产SiC涂层，而且成本高，不适合大型机械部件。为了应对热喷涂SiC涂层的行业挑战，Hunprenco正在利用最先进的材料配方和热喷涂方法开发一种新的应用工艺，以利用SiC涂层的优势。Hunprenco正在与ABG International合作，数字精加工设备的市场领导者，以及诺丁汉大学的先进材料研究小组。我们将开发SiC的热喷涂，扩大我们的大型部件工艺，并在现实环境中展示概念验证。我们的联盟汇集了材料加工和热喷涂领域的领先专家，在开发创新涂层方面有着良好的记录。此外，ABG International是数字化精加工设备的市场领导者，其工厂的成功演示和测试为我们提供了一条直接进入市场的途径。成功的项目交付将巩固我们作为行业领先创新者的声誉，也是我们雄心勃勃的增长战略进入新市场的第一步。"

"Hunprenco is a precision engineering company, largest thermal spray company in the UK (one of the largest in Europe) and world-leading manufacturer of plungers (40% of Global market) and coolers for the glass container industry.Silicon carbide (SiC) based ceramics are widely used as surface coatings in applications requiring low friction and high wear resistance (e.g. moving components, metal working tools, and protective coatings against corrosion in steel), due to high wear resistance, high temperature strength and thermal shock resistance. Most of these coatings are produced via dynamic ion mixing, RF magnetron sputtering or chemical vapour deposition. These methods are only able to produce SiC coatings on limited size components and are considered costly and unsuitable for large-scale machine components.To tackle the industry-wide challenge of thermal spraying SiC coatings, Hunprenco are exploiting state of the art material formulations and thermal spray methods to develop a novel application process to exploit the benefits of SiC coatings.Hunprenco are collaborating with ABG International, the market leader in digital finishing equipment, and the University of Nottingham's Advanced Materials Research Group. We will develop the thermal spaying of SiC, scale-up our process for large components and demonstrate proof of concept in a real-world environment.Our consortium brings together leading experts in material processing and thermal spraying, with a track record in developing innovative coatings. Furthermore, ABG International is the market leader in digital finishing equipment and successful demonstration and testing at their facility provides an immediate route to market.Successful project delivery will cement our reputation as leading innovators within the industry and is the first step in an ambitious growth strategy to enter new market sectors."