FAQs
Q. Which materials can be treated with the Keronite Technology?
A. The Keronite process can be applied to any alloy of aluminium, magnesium or titanium, whether in wrought or cast form (although the resulting surface properties will vary). Intermetallics and metal matrix composites (MMCs) based on these metals and alloys can also be treated, as can novel powdered metallurgy products, and thixomoulded alloys.
Q. How much does it cost to treat a part?
A. This is a question to which it is difficult to provide a simple answer; the cost will depend on the application requirements since these determine which variant of the Keronite technology will provide the most suitable result, as well as on operational requirements such as production volumes and locations. Our team can provide estimates or quotations based on drawings and specific requirements.
Q. How do the costs of the Keronite process compare to other versions of Electrolytic Oxidation technologies, including "hard anodising"?
A. This is also a difficult question to provide a simple answer for. The Keronite technology has been engineered to consistently deliver its performance characteristics at the lowest effective cost. Therefore, on a like for like basis, there is no more effective version of PEO available for controlled production at industrial scale. Although hard anodising can only provide much lower performance, hard anodising is a far simpler technology with lower energy inputs, with less sophisticated control and production equipment and hence lower intrinsic costs. Keronite can only compete economically with hard anodising when a customer values the performance enhancement sufficiently.
Q. How does the Keronite system work?
A. There are three main elements to the proprietary Keronite system:
- A wide range of electrolytes, carefully produced to proprietary formulations that have been designed to give optimal performance
- Production engineering including unrivalled levels of process control, with bespoke jigging and production equipment, including our own fully programmable power supply units which deliver high energy pulses in programmes specifically tailored to each component design.
- A vast background of industrial experience, application engineering knowledge and research and development expertise that allows us to design optimal solutions for customers.
All of these elements combine to provide the best possible solutions to our customer's requirements.
Q. Where can I get access to the Keronite technology?
A. The company operates a Technology Centre in Cambridge (England) where specialist teams are available to develop applications solutions, provide prototypes, and design and build Keronite production systems. In addition, on this site, the Company operates a small scale service centre capable of treating small volumes of parts, ideal for a production ramp up.
The Company has a mass production unit in Bicester (England) capable of treating parts up to 6m2 and batch service centres in Indianapolis (USA) and Chongqing (China). Between these sites we are able to offer the widest possible range of Keronite variants, both in terms of technology variant, electrolyte and processor size.
Where these geographic locations are not ideally suited to a customer's supply chain needs, the company has a range of licensee partners in 11 other countries who are able to offer certain variants of the system. Please contact us on info@keronite.com to establish the most effective route to meet your particular needs.