Mining Industries Should Consider Getting Plasma Spray Coatings
Plasma spray coatings and mining go together like a hand and glove. Or at least they should! The reason is simple – when it comes to working environments, some of the most stressful, harshest conditions are found in mines. And plasma spray coatings are the perfect answer to the conditions under which mining machinery is forced to operate.
Mining Conditions and Demands
As just stated, mines are difficult places in which to work, at best. The machines that are used in mines are subjected to corrosion, abrasion, excavation impacts, and more, on a regular basis. No matter how long these machines were designed to originally last, their life expectancy is severely and negatively impacted as a result of the conditions under which they operate. Mining corporations can suffer exorbitant maintenance and replacement costs.
But when plasma spray coatings are used on machinery parts and components, they help fight against abrasion, corrosion, and combat wear. And those are, without a doubt, the three greatest areas of concern in the industry – right behind those exorbitant operational costs and reduced efficiency.
Mining Machinery and Protective Coatings
Plasma spray coatings employee surface engineering and thermal spraying at an advanced level. This ensures the optimal performance and increased lifespan of mining machinery. During the design phase of mining industry thermal spray solutions, various components’ operating environment had to be taken into account.
As a result of exhaustive research and test runs, the perfect protective coating for roasters, large crushers, reactors, and mills was finally created to help fight corrosion and wear. Also used by the mining industry are bulldozers, loaders, hoppers, drills, and other heavy-duty equipment and vehicles. Their degradation as a result of faster wear was as big of a problem as with the other aforementioned equipment. But once again, when parts are treated with plasma spray coating, all of the equipment becomes more durable, thereby lasting longer.
And as positive as all of this seems, it gets even better. Thanks to techniques of restoration by dimension, there are now methods of taking worn or damaged mining components and refurbishing them to their OEM standards. That means that the need for new parts can be somewhat lessened; and no downtime while waiting for new parts to be delivered.
Thermal Spray Coatings at an Advanced level
Any number of coatings are used by the mining industry to help with prolonging the life of machinery and parts. Some of these coatings are as follows:
- Solid particle erosion resistant coatings
- High-temperature environment coatings
- Oxidation resistant coatings
- Wear control coatings
- Corrosion prevention coatings
- Thermal barrier coatings
Some of the components benefiting from these advanced coatings are as follows:
- Pumps
- Flange drives
- Crown wheel hubs
- Hydraulic shafts
- Spline pulleys
- Output shafts
- Gear spurs
- Bearing carriers
- Bevel gear housing
A&A Coatings has been a major player in the thermal spray industry for over 70 years. We employ numerous methods and materials depending on the needs of our clients and the conditions under which they work. You would be hard-pressed to find an industry today that doesn’t enjoy the benefits of thermal spray protective coatings in one way or another. If you’d like to find out more about our company, or if you would like to discuss what thermal spray can do for you, contact us today.
