Maintaining functionality and long life of parts and their component systems for applications across all types of industries for equipment manufacturers is critically important.
A reliable and relatively low cost alternative to the use of expensive alloys and metals is to apply thin, functional coatings such as electroless nickel alloys, hard chromium or tin or their alloys over lower cost substrate materials that provide improved performance characteristics. These surface treatments not only increase the durability and useful life of the components but can also enhance certain important engineering or mechanical properties. Part surface heat dissipation, shielding valuable electronic devices from interferences, improved magnetic properties and increased solder ability are just some of the unique characteristics that COVENTYA Functional Coatings can provide for meeting the demands of many applications.
What are COVENTYA Functional coatings?
Functional Coatings are utilized for many applications across different industries including Automotive, Electronics, Aerospace and Chemical Industry including Oil and Gas. These Coatings are sometimes referred to as engineered coatings because they can offer many physical advantages over alternative materials. Unlike decorative or protective finishes that focus either on appearance and/or corrosion protection, functional finishes are often applied to internal components in systems designed to overcome a wide variety of conditions including wear, friction and corrosion.
Technologies
Electroless Nickel
Electroless nickel (EN) as the name implies is a nickel phosphorus alloy deposit that is deposited without electricity from a rectifier. There are many ranges of deposits with varying phosphorus amounts that provide the properties engineers are seeking. The self-sustaining chemical reaction is created by the interaction between the Nickel Ion and the reducing agent (Hypophosphite) in the solution. In addition to the deposit resulting superior wear and corrosion resistance, EN’s primary advantage over its electroplated counterparts is the ability to provide complete deposit uniformity and part encapsulation regardless of the shape, size or complexity of the component.
Hard Chrome
Chromium deposits have been available for 90 years and have evolved more recently in the past 2 decades. COVENTYA offers technology platforms based on Cr(VI) but more importantly new developments with Cr(III) electrolytes. These electroplating systems provide very hard, bright and durable deposits. These systems offer deposits that are self-lubricating and Vickers hardness 1000 to 1500 HV100, but more importantly these deposits continue to find wide use and appeal for critical engineering applications. These deposits find few alternatives, even under restrictive environmental regulations, for their replacement in many applications.
Tin / Tin Alloys
Electroplated deposits that have excellent conductivity, resist oxidation and readily accept solder and offer NPE free technology for meeting global demand. For these reasons they find wide use in the electronics industry and for many industrial electronic applications.
