Many industries make extensive use of pipes, couplers, tanks, valves, cylinders, etc. through which fluids, gases or materials flow. Prior to Sub-One, various techniques attempted to protect, strengthen or enhance the internal-surface performance of such parts, but each method had fundamental limitations…
For example, parts were sometimes manufactured from special high-grade metals and then machined for extra smoothness, but this was an expensive proposition. Traditional coating methods - electroplating, sprays and others - provided limited effectiveness because they were primarily intended for external rather than internal surfaces. Plus, they were often toxic or environmentally dangerous. InnerArmor technology eliminates all those problems and produces a hard, smooth, corrosion- and erosion-resistant internal surface on a variety of base materials - while substantially reducing costs.
Advantages of InnerArmor Coatings over Thermal Spray Coatings
Thermal sprays such as arc, plasma and High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) spray deposit melted materials onto a surface. However, these are line-of-sight processes that cannot reach into small, complex or very long cavities, such as pipes. And spray-coated surfaces are rough, increasing friction or requiring additional grinding and polishing. Often done by hand, spray coating is expensive and difficult to apply evenly. In contrast, InnerArmor coating is fully automated, less expensive, smooth and evenly applied, even in very long cavities.
Advantages of InnerArmor Coatings over Chrome Plating
Chrome plating uses harsh, hazardous chemicals that pose health risks and face more stringent government regulations. Also, for aggressive environments, chrome often requires special additional pre-coatings. And imperfect or inadequate surface preparation can cause multiple chrome plating problems, such as microcracking, delamination and substrate corrosion. In comparison, InnerArmor provides superior hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, and it utilizes an environmentally benign process.
Advantages of InnerArmor Coatings over Polymer Linings
These linings are plastics such as Teflon® coatings that are sprayed or dip-coated onto the product. These coatings provide limited corrosion resistance, are not optimal for high-wear components and cannot be used in high temperature environments. InnerArmor coatings prevents corrosion, resists wear and performs at much higher temperatures.
InnerArmor Coatings
InnerArmor coatings offer important advantages over virtually all traditional treating and coating techniques as well as over newer processes such as CVD diamond.
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Top: Cross section of 304 stainless steel pipe - uncoated.
Middle: Same steel pipe with InnerArmor silicon oxy-carbide coating.
Bottom: Same steel pipe with InnerArmor DLC diamond-like carbon.
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This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Sub-One Technology - Pipe and Tube Coatings.
For more information on this source, please visit Sub-One Technology - Pipe and Tube Coatings.