Extreme Environments

Space

The Keronite system owes its origins to the space program and is still in operation on satellites and other spacecraft today, where it enables the extensive use of light alloys, which in turn increases the potential of the payload by reducing the weight of other elements of the craft.  Keronite passes even the most rigorous space agency tests in applications where components are, for example, one moment facing the intense heat of the sun and in the next turned to face the extreme cold of deep space.   The adhesion properties mean that even in these conditions the treatment does not come off.

The Company is currently working with both NASA and ESA to treat parts on active space programs and on development projects for the surface treatment of new materials.

Aerospace

Aluminium has long been a significant material of choice for the both the fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft and the company is currently working with a number of major aircraft manufacturers on a range of applications.

Magnesium, although it finds only limited application in fixed wing designs, is the material of choice for housings and other components in rotary wing design.  Current protective surface treatments are based on hexavalent chrome and provide corrosion protection less than the service life of the aircraft, meaning that operators are forced to take units out of operation to replace housings.  After many years of testing Keronite is now approved by FAA, US Army and US NavAir as a surface treatment for housings that will, when combined with a class leading topcoat system, offer in-service durability which will deliver a substantial extension of service intervals.

Titanium is finding increasing application in both fixed wing and rotary designs.  As aircraft get bigger the desire for strong, light weight materials is growing.  Keronite is now approved as an anti-galling treatment for titanium parts for the after market on large passenger jets and is currently seeking the relevant approvals for inclusion on the original equipment.

Semi-conductor manufacturing equipment

As the demand for ever more powerful microprocessors continues to increase the standards demanded from the equipment used in their manufacture increases.  These are ultra-clean environments that use high temperatures, high vacuum conditions and often resort to highly reactive gases to clean contaminants from the chambers and other equipment.

Keronite has developed a number of special purpose variants of the core technology to meet the very exacting standards of this industry.  These treatments are able to deliver durability improvements over the current technologies of three to five times, reducing down time in the equipment and reducing the levels of contamination in the system.

Keronite is currently used on a range of in chamber parts and is in the final stages of approval on a number of other exciting applications. 

Oil, Gas & Sub-sea

This is a vast sector with a complex array of needs and because of the conservative nature of many of the operators light alloys are not always chosen, even when the application is suitable for their deployment.  None the less, they are increasingly finding application in a range of important, growing and highly demanding situations.

The sub-sea environment is being studied more today than ever before.  There is a need to leave increasing amounts of complex electronic monitoring equipment on the sea bed for months and sometimes years at a time.  For convenience of handling these monitoring devices when they are above the surface designers are turning to aluminium for use in the canisters and tubes that contain the equipment and batteries.  Traditional surface treatments have failure rates of up to 30%, where the Keronite Duplex system developed specifically for this application has survived multi-year endurance trials.

As oil exploration moves into to ever more challenging environments the need to reduce the suspended mass beneath drilling platforms is a growing consideration.  Keronite is already used to enable use of aluminium riser pipes and is currently being approved on a range of other sub-sea oil applications.

The Gas sector is also seeking to exploit new reserves, which sometimes contain corrosive elements within the extracted gas stream.  Keronite is currently used to protect pumping equipment used in these challenging gas fields.

Automotive

Despite the well publicised challenges in this sector at present there are still a number of high performance niches that are seeking to use light alloys in very challenging environments.

As emissions requirements continue to tighten exhaust gases are now commonly re-circulated, in part, through components that were originally designed to channel fresh air.  Keronite's ability to deliver high levels of corrosion protection, with little or no effect on the fatigue strength of the part has enabled it to be used on a number of these exhaust system components.

Performance is also paramount inside the engine and Keronite has been in production for some years now on a range of engine components for the performance and after market sections of the industry.

Weight reduction also continues to be a key feature, increasing the use of aluminium and magnesium.  The latter must be effectively pre-treated to both prevent corrosion and provide a key for topcoats such as paint or adhesive.  Keronite is currently in production on a number of volume car applications in this area.