thermal spray

Abradables increase operating security and reduce energy consumption and emissions from turbines. They are abraded when they come into contact with counter bodies, without damaging them. This creates a defined gap size on the mating surfaces. The layers often consist of a porous metal matrix with soft ceramic, graphite, or plastic content. This saves fuel, reduces noise, and increases efficiency.

Modern power electronics require reinforced high-performance coatings that can stand up to the requirements of increasing operating voltages and high power density. Electrical insulation, as well as electrical engineering and electronics, is also increasingly needed in modern machine, plant, and vehicle construction. This effectively prevents bearing damage from stray and induced currents with insulating shaft connections. Our ceramic insulation layers provide dielectric strength of more than 2 kV/0.1 mm.

See data sheet for more information and technical details.

With the developing market of electromobility, the need to shield high-frequency electromagnetic fields from components that would otherwise impact their function is also growing. The lightweight construction used in many vehicles often does not provide this shielding function. Protective EMC coatings guarantee optimum protection for components made from plastic and composite material. 
A number of non-metallic materials can be coated by thermal spraying; thermoplastics with and without fiber reinforcement, SMC and long-fiber GRP and CRP components are primarily coated. Thermally sprayed metallic layers on plastics have significant advantages compared to alternative EMC solutions, such as metal sheet or foil inserts:

• bonds to plastic over a large area
• can be manufactured with almost no dependence on contours (multi-dimensional, rounded shapes)
• small assembly space
• low weight

See data sheet for more information and technical details.

For EMC applications as well as other applications with thermally sprayed coatings on plastics and composites, GfE Fremat is continuously working on the optimization of the technology as well as the extension of the application possibilities. For example, completely new technological paths are currently being explored and developed together with partners from industry and research in the CHIMERA joint project, especially for the coating of lightweight materials. Further information can be found on the project page:   Funktionalisierung von laserstrukturierten Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden durch Thermisches Spritzen (CHIMERA) - Fraunhofer IWS

Sliding coatings and guides are produced and installed by the millions. The requirements for operating safety and lifespan are steadily growing. Thermal spraying allows bearing bushes and thrust washers to be manufactured in large sizes at economical costs. Furthermore, selective or thin coatings can be applied on components with sliding surfaces, which conventional bearing technologies do not allow. 
Sliding coating materials can be manufactured using the thermal spraying process with a wide variety of material combinations; these include embedding solid lubricants and hard particles. This allows the desired tribological properties to be set.

GfE offers coatings under the brand name e-CER^® that are able to increase the efficiency of thermal processes significantly through high emissivity in the infrared range. The ceramic layers are used primarily wherever a high amount of infrared radiation is needed for fast heating: for example, in baking oven construction, food drying systems, plastic processing, warming and heat treatment or in cooling technology, especially in vacuum systems. 

It’s easy to test the effectiveness and advantages of e-CER^®; we can coat your components with no problem – radiators, emitters, or heaters – up to dimensions of several meters. 

More technical information can be found in our white papers

e-CER^® - Ceramic functional layers for infrared radiation applications (PDF)
e-CER^®- Baking plates: Ceramic-coated metal plates for industrial and craft ovens (PDF)

Components can be effectively protected from corrosion and its consequences with specific coatings. In addition to a proven selection of coating materials, GfE also offers custom solutions.

Paper, film, and fabrics are processed in high-performance machines. Wear-resistant rough coatings on grippers and rollers guarantee that production processes will run smoothly, even at high speeds. By selecting procedures, parameters, and materials, we can set the exact roughness you need to guide or transport the product precisely.

See data sheet for more information and technical details.

As they do for rough coatings on transport components, thermally sprayed layers can also increase the friction coefficient for machine element pairings. 
GfE offers coatings under the brand namef-CER®to provide especially high coefficients of friction in comparison to steel and other building materials. The ceramic layers produced by GfE for are used in ship and vehicle construction, in printing machinery construction, and in the textile industry, among other things. While a steel-steel pairing usually demonstrates a static friction coefficient (µ) of 0.10–0.12, systems using f-CER® coating achieve values far higher than 0.5. This includes the following advantages:

• more compact construction 
• lower production costs
• higher operating safety
• energy saved due to smaller masses moved

For friction systems under dynamic stress, such as brake discs and clutch elements, metallic and hard metallic coatings in particular have proven successful. They offer a friction coefficient that remains consistent across a wide temperature range, in addition to excellent wear resistance and adhesive strength.

Wear reduces the lifespan of machinery and tools. Thermally sprayed coatings help keep costs down, because cheaper base materials can often be used for the components thanks to the coating. Longer lifetimes for protected components increase the operating safety of systems. 

See respective data sheet for more information and technical details.

Ceramic thermal insulating layers expand the range of application for system components exposed to thermal stress. With actively cooled components, thermally sprayed insulating layers can increase the threshold temperature for use (process temperature) by up to several hundred degrees Celsius. Along with the application in turbine construction, there are a number of other possibilities for using protective layers as thermal insulation.