NanoSHIELD Coating: The Future of Manufacturing

Posted May 21, 2013 & filed under Uncategorized

According to a recent issue of Scientific American, several next generation manufacturing tools & materials are expected to hit the market in the coming years. One of them is an extreme-duty alloy that is resistant to breakage even against incredibly dense materials and can possibly save millions over the course of a project. Intrigued? You might want to keep your eye out for NanoSHIELD coating.

NanoSHIELD coating – abbreviated from Nano Super Hard Inexpensive Laser Deposited coating – is the handiwork of engineers from the Oak Ridge & Lawrence Livermore national laboratories in conjunction with members of the Colorado School of Mines & others. This protective iron-based alloy is so potent that it can extend the life of extreme-duty equipment by at least 20 percent.

To form the coating, an amorphous alloy powder is applied to a steel substrate and then, through the direct focus of a precision laser, the two are fused together to create this highly durable end product. Unlike any crystalline alloy structure, the atomic structure of this amorphous alloy coating possesses a disordered quality that, like glass, exhibits high levels of ductility & wear resistance that can withstand extreme conditions. So far, NanoSHIELD coated disc cutters have been the only equipment that did not spall or fracture after performing one linear cut of granite in a Colorado School of Mines (it’s the first in the test’s 25 year run) and have been recorded to resist spallation up to 105,000 psi.

So, what does this mean for manufacturing?

For one, the application of this material is not just limited to use on mining or tunnel-boring projects. Any type of equipment that experiences inordinate amounts of friction or psi levels during regular usage can benefit from this technology. As the material begins to proliferate across the market and becomes more standard, early adapters will find inventive new applications for this alloy in disc cutters, rock-mixing paddles, machining tools, geothermal drills, and scores of other extreme-duty tools.

Additionally, replacement of NanoSHIELD coated materials will be far less frequent and the cost of the coating itself will be minimal compared to more conventional coatings like tungsten carbide cobalt or others. Project expenses will see a drastic drop for anyone implementing this glassy-metal alloy composition into their tooling arsenal.

In the coming years, this alloy coating has the potential to become the standard across engineering & manufacturing disciplines as an incredible time & money saving tool. So, if you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, take a further look into this extreme condition, iron-based alloy: you may finally be able to break through barriers into even greater opportunities & profits.

by James Walsh