Thermal Coating, Spraying and Surface Treatment – with Industrial Gases

Using Gases to Precision-engineer the Material Properties You Need

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Gases Supporting a Wide Spectrum of Surface Treatment and Spraying Needs

Industrial gases play a vital role in numerous spraying, coating and surface treatment processes. Gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and acetylene are used to improve process performance, coating quality, surface finish and component strength while reducing cost, weight and even environmental impact in some instances.

Get the Surface Finish and Material Properties You Want - with LINSPRAY

Thermal spraying is a cost-effective and practical way for you to improve the wear and corrosion resistance as well as the heat properties of a component. You can also increase or decrease friction or change the electrical properties of the component surface. In addition, sprayed coatings can be used to repair damaged surfaces or restore the dimensions of parts with manufacturing defects for seamless post-processing.

Here at Linde, our application expertise spans all heat sources (flame, arc, plasma or kinetic energy in the case of lower-temperature "cold" spraying techniques), fillers and materials. In addition, our LINSPRAY® offering covers the full process spectrum from high- and lower-temperature spraying methods all the way to carbon dioxide (CO2) cooling solutions for temperature-sensitive materials. We also work closely with hardware and consumable manufacturers to stay at the cutting edge of developments in industries as diverse as automotive, aerospace and nuclear. 

Our process expertise spans the latest spraying technologies:

  • Flame spraying with wire or rod
  • Flame spraying with powder
  • Flame spraying with plastics
  • High-velocity oxyfuel spraying (HVOF)
  • Laser spraying/cladding
  • Cold spraying
  • Plasma spraying
  • Arc spraying
  • CO2 cooling

LINSPRAY brings you customized gas mixtures and supply concepts, the necessary equipment and supply systems to help you ensure the safe installation and handling of our gases and mixtures - at all times.

In addition, we have an extensive network of engineers who are able to provide guidance on the best solution to meet your productivity, quality and cost requirements. This service includes training on safety or thermal spraying applications.

Replacing Solvents with Gases for Curing Applications

Ultraviolet (UV) curing uses high-intensity light rather than heat to dry (or cure) and harden coatings, adhesives and inks. Unlike conventional air-drying methods, this well-established process does not use solvents and thus does not create pollutants. The benefits of UV curing include

  • Potential for environmental gains due to reduced use of solvents
  • Cost savings due to low energy consumption
  • Compact plant size

Radiation curing under oxygen-reduced conditions can add further quality and cost benefits:

  • Reduction of expensive photoinitiators (UV) Higher curing speed
  • Lower energy costs
  • Better scratch resistance
  • Higher gloss
  • Less ozone formation (EB).

Nitrogen and in some cases carbon dioxide are used to eliminate oxygen in the curing chamber. We provide a range of solutions and services to fit your needs, including consulting and testing, a gas supply solution tailored to your technical, financial and purity needs, as well as the equipment required to supply and control the gas supply to your UV or EB unit (including metering panels and oxygen measurement sensors).

Gases and More for Tire Curing and Carbon-fiber Composite Curing

Looking beyond radiation-based processes, gas-enabled curing is also widely deployed for industrial applications such as rubber/tire curing and autoclave curing. Applications such as these use gases such as nitrogen to precisely control heat, pressure and process atmospheres and thus achieve the desired material properties. In tire manufacturing, heat and pressure drive the vulcanization of rubber, producing the strength, elasticity and durability required for finished tires. In composite manufacturing, autoclave curing uses elevated temperature and pressure to consolidate fiber-reinforced materials and cure polymer resins, resulting in lightweight, high-strength components ideally suited to space and other quality-critical applications.

 

Need more info on gases in spraying and surface treatment?

Talk to our experts and let’s explore how our gases can bring productivity and quality gains to your thermal spraying, coating and surface treatment operations
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