Abakan Inc. ("Abakan"), an emerging leader in the advanced coatings and metal formulations markets, today announced that its subsidiary MesoCoat has engaged EWI, the world leader in welding and allied technologies, to accelerate manufacturing scale-up of its CermaClad™ clad pipes.
EWI will bring its world-renowned expertise to the project and provide simulation and controls development services to support the development of manufacturing process specifications and non-destructive testing procedures, followed by bimetallic pipe welding and joining process qualification.
"This project is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at engaging leading experts and organizations around the world in the surface engineering and materials science industry," said Robert Miller, CEO of Abakan Inc. "Last month, we added Dr. Damian Kotecki to our team, who is considered by many to be the leading authority on welding, while EWI is North America's top developer of materials joining and additive manufacturing technology. Engaging EWI to support development of the CermaClad™ large-area fusion cladding technology enables us to tap into their incredible talent pool and knowledge base to help Abakan continue to be on the forefront of science and innovation for the foreseeable future."
The CermaClad™ high-speed large-area clad pipe technology produces a superior metallurgical clad pipe product for the oil and gas industry, where the availability of metallurgical clad pipes and the associated lead time have been a barrier to the development of oil and gas reserves around the world.
The technology uses a high intensity plasma light source – a "mini-sun" -- to rapidly fuse anti-corrosion and anti-wear materials to large areas of steel, including pipes. MesoCoat's process offers 40 times higher productivity compared to current metallurgical cladding technologies and it enables a three to six times longer life for metal assets and improved metallurgical and mechanical properties at the lowest lifecycle cost. CermaClad™ offers on-time delivery and up to 80 percent reduction in lead times for seamless, metallurgically clad pipes at costs lower than those of competing alternatives.
EWI develops and applies technology innovation within the manufacturing industry. Since the early 1980s, the company has helped manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, government/defense, heavy manufacturing, consumer products, light industrial, energy and rail industry sectors improve operational efficiencies through the development of innovative materials and associated technologies.
EWI also operates a number of centers and consortia that act as hubs for the advancement of specific technologies and industries, all of which are designed to improve public-private collaboration, strengthen U.S. manufacturing supply chains and make U.S. manufacturers more competitive on a global scale. The consortia include the Additive Manufacturing Consortium, EWI Defense Center, EWI Nuclear Fabrication Center, EWI Rail Manufacturing Technology Center and EWI Forming Center.
Source: http://abakaninc.com/