It’s the surface that counts. New invention provides global advantage.

5 Sep 11

Working in partnership with Deakin University and the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing (VCAMM), the technology differs from the majority of coating technologies in that it bonds high performance metals with the base metal it is coating at a molecular level rather than simply plating on top of it. The resulting two-stage process provides substantial reduction in the friction generated between mating parts and hence reduces the wear rate.

As part of the project, DST Technologies was formed between AMTIL Member United Surface Technologies (UST) and HARD Technologies Pty Ltd. The project received a science and innovation grant from the Victorian Government to allow DST to design and build Australia's first HARD Duplex Surface Technology Fluidised Bed Reactor. The equipment was designed and built in Australia to HARD‘s specifications by Applied Heat Technologies in Bayswater. The gases used for the process are being provided by BOC and AGAS.

HARD actually stands for ‘Heat And Reactive Diffusion’ technologies and as the name suggests is focused on diffusion surface treatments unlike the various thermal spray coatings currently provided by UST.

The fluidised bed reactor consists of particles of aluminium oxide in a sealed retort. When gas is passed up through the particles they become separated and behave like a liquid, where gas bubbles are produced collapse and reform to circulate the particles throughout the bed.

Its inventor, Ray Reynoldson, describes it as behaving in a similar way to a boiling kettle, adding that in nature quicksand is typical of a fluidised bed. Heat is transferred from the aluminium oxide particles within the fluidised bed to any metal parts that are loaded into the bed, where they are heated much faster than by radiation, convection or conduction. By changing gases and altering the types of powders used within the bed, it is possible to perform a wide range of thermochemical duplex surface treatments not previously available to manufacturing. These include special duplex nitriding processes, vanadium coatings and DST – Cr.

DST Technologies has been conducting trials for potential customers since February 2011. These include Parker Nihon from Japan and Thumb Tool in the USA.  “Our first licensee in Canton Michigan USA is already reporting back some very successful trials with such well-known companies as Harley Davidson and Mercury Marine,” says Reynoldson. “It is likely that 95% of the HARD business will be from exporting the technology overseas.”

HARD Technologies has already installed a smaller metal surface treatment unit in Detroit, USA that was recently built in Victoria. This has become a flagship for the new technology and is now earning licence revenue. HARD is pursuing the sale of licences overseas and has a local facility to train both Deakin and overseas licence holders in the operation of the equipment.

Article by Martin Oakham Editor of AMT Magazine

DST Technologies Pty Ltd
www.ust.com.au