The Advantages of Tungsten Carbide Coatings for Machines

We always know about the usage of carbides in jewelries since they possess strong durability against scratches, nicks, and cracks. A tungsten carbide is strong, and it is also denser, harder, and heavier than steel. Its hardness is comparable with corundum which is a notch softer than the hardest mineral – diamond. Carbides can also be polished with the use of abrasives such as born nitride and diamond powder.

Because of the great properties of carbides, they become very strong materials in creating industrial machineries, armors, abrasives, cutting tools, and other equipment and instruments.

However, little that we know that carbides can also be produced in liquid-form, in a form of thermal sprays. These carbide thermal sprays produces a high amount of kinetic energy into the powder particles they interact. When these particles strike a certain compound or material, the carbide’s velocity drops to zero, and thus the kinetic energy is absorbed by the material causing the spray to easily bind with the surface or instrument you sprayed at. The result of the spray is a very dense, adhesive, and cohesive carbide coating for your machineries and instruments. This coating has high bond strength, low residual stress, low porosity, high wear resistance, and has very good corrosion resistance.

With a wide array of thermal sprays available, carbides are most commonly used for wear resistance surface treatments. These carbide thermal sprays are used in robotic arms, guns, x-rays, gun manipulators, overhead cranes, and other fixtures needed for protection.

Oftentimes, these carbide technology are used for testing and research. Currently, there are many researches made to improve or even to seek more powerful compounds than thermal carbide coating sprays. Although carbides are very durable, there is a huge demand in the industry to see more durable substances for machine protection. Thus, the process and research is always improving.

On the other hand, it also depends on what kind of concentration of thermal carbide coatings you need. Different machines need different concentrations of thermal carbide spray. If a wrong concentration is sprayed to the machine, the machine may break, overheat, or malfunction. Careful use of the thermal spray is also needed, and a recommendation from an engineer must also be sought.

Furthermore, machines coated with carbides do possess great resistance against wear and tear. Many factories and industries use tungsten carbide thermal sprays to optimize the machines they currently have. It will ensure that they can still exploit or utilize their machines for the long term. The initial cost of carbide spray is very minimal compared to the benefits it can give in machine protection.

Always remember, carbide sprays must always be in the proper concentration of the machine it will be sprayed. Overdoing the concentration may cause more harm than good, while diluting the concentration can also cause more dangers. Make sure that the company you sought for this procedure is a trusted one.