Originally Published EMDM March/April 2005
Technology News
Multiple-Material Thick Coating Process Has Medical Devices CoveredDistinct materials can be combined into one composite in a recently developed coating process. MDW Technologies (Newport Beach, CA, USA) offers a low-temperature process that produces metal composite coating materials with tailored physical properties. Coatings as thick as 0.125 in. can be applied without inducing thermal stress.
The process begins with metal powder particles injected into a supersonic gas stream. The particle stream is then accelerated to high velocities. The particles deform and bond to a substrate upon impact. Powder feedstocks of 50-µm or larger particles are applied at speeds higher than 440 m/sec. Aluminium with tungsten, aluminium nitride, and other binary metallic composites have been applied. Silicon carbide has been applied with aluminium, copper, and stainless steel.
Chief of business development David Isaacs reports that the process is relatively environmentally benign. It does not require a vacuum chamber and can use inert gases. Unlike plating processes, the technology does not necessitate disposal of significant quantities of heavy metals.
Marty Newman, chief technology officer, remarks that the coating process opens up a range of possibilities. “When mechanical engineers learn that they can obtain properties in these coatings that have been previously impossible, they immediately visualize solutions: increased lubricity or friction characteristics, increased wear protection, hardness, and corrosion protection,” he says.
The company specializes in applying thin-film coatings and micro surface treatments to medical products.
The process’s medical device applications include wear-resistant coatings, protection for shafts and bearings, and thermal heat-sink applications.
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