Technology
At Uniqoat we are using combination of unique coating formulations along with coating application methods, to make sure our customers are getting best results, tailored to application. Uniqoat coatings are widely used to: to prolong the life of the equipment, reduce downtimes, cost of ownership and production cost.
It is not only what we apply but how we apply it!
At Uniqoat we gathered over 60 years of coating and formulation experience to solve most demanding challenges.
About IF-WS2 Based Coatings
At Uniqoat we offer a new generation of solid lubricant coatings based on inorganic nanostructured fullerene like tungsten disulfide IF-WS2. We use the most advanced technologies and materials to create best candidate coatings for our customers. Due to specific atomic structure our IF-WS2 based coatings can withstand considerably high loads and impacts, lower friction up to 10 times, outperforming their platelet analogues, such as 2H MoS2 and/or 2H WS2. Our coatings are good candidates for numerous applications in robotics, automotive, aerospace, agricultural and medical industries.
About IF-WS2
What Material is IF- WS2
Inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulfide (IF-WS2) nanoparticles were first synthesized in 1992 by Tenne and all. These IF-WS2 nanoparticles are multi-layered, onion-like spheres. The IF-WS2 nanoparticles 20–200 nm big are constructed of multiple layers, which can be represented as a sandwich within the plane. The layers, which covalently bonded S–W–S moieties, are weakly connected by van der Waals forces. This unique structure provides the IF-WS2 nanoparticles with properties of a solid lubricant, which allow remarkable improvement of friction and wear properties under wet and dry conditions at different load levels. As the load between the bodies increases, IF-WS2 nanoparticles penetrate into the interface between rubbed surfaces, they gradually deform and exfoliate, leaving nano-plates of the sandwiched material to coat the asperities at the interface.
What is advantage of WS2 based Lubricants?
At “UNIQOAT” we suggest a new generation of solid lubricant coatings, based on (IF-WS2. IF-WS2 and its composites, due to their specific atomic structure can withstand considerably high loads and temperatures compare to their platelet analogues. The distinctive spherical and cylindrical morphology of IF-WS2 particles allow them to roll between the sliding surfaces of any contacting parts by lowering friction between them up to 10 times in some applications. While standard additives offer moderate tribological properties, the spherical and cylindrical IF-WS2 composite particles are designed to have dozens of concentric layers so they excel under extreme pressure, load and impact. Decreased friction leads to reduced operating temperatures, metal wear, and overall cost of ownership. In addition it provides non-failure service of many important mechanisms under extreme conditions of exploitation.
What are Basic Technical Characteristics of the suggested Coatings?
The performance of each type of coating depends on several factors. In order to suggest best candidate coating, all-important factors affecting on coating performance under the given conditions of exploration should be discussed with customers. Substrate material also plays an important role for coating performance and for many applications could defines how solid lubricant will work. Some basic characteristics of IF-WS2 based composite coatings deposited on Stainless Steel (SS), High Speed Steel (HSS), Carbone Steel (CS), Al and Ti alloys are described in Table I. Maximum working temperature of the coatings depend on several factors and could be reach up to 800 OC or more for some application. The hardness and corrosion resistance of the surface could be controlled by combining classical surface modification techniques and solid lubricant coating.
Table I. Some Basic Characteristics of IF-WS2 Composite Coatings
|
Materials |
Coating Composition |
Thickness (μm) |
COF |
| SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | IF- WS2 | 0.05 – 0.1 | 0.01 – 0.1 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
IF- WS2 /Various form of carbon |
1.5 – 3.0 |
0.1 – 0.2 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
IF- WS2/ MoS2 |
1.0 – 1.5 |
0.05 – 0.15 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
IF- WS2/ Teflon | 1.0 – 3.0 | 0.1 – 0.15 |
Benefits and Capabilities of Our IF-WS2 based Coatings
[1] Low Friction Coatings
Some examples below are demonstrating the applications of our IF-WS2 based composite coatings as a friction reducing layer. Titanium and steel bolts, moving aluminum slides, ball bearings and brass door locks, as well as many other moving and sliding metallic parts are good candidates where our coatings could perform as a good candidate for providing low friction between the contacting surfaces.
[2] Soil Resistant Coatings
Some of our IF-WS2 / carbon composite coatings could serve as soil resistant protective layers by preventing polymers, carbides, sulphides, dust and other materials from adhering to the metallic parts..
[3] Wear Resistant Coatings
Some of our composite coatings recommend itself as a very good protective coating against wear for the following applications: threads of CNC Machines, forming dies and punches, drill bits and end mills, as well as various types of gears. For many applications the life of performing tools could be extended up to 10 times and more.
Typical applications for Uniqoat coatings
Although it is hard to describe every possible application, however IF-WS2 have been successfully implemented on: Mold releases, Cutting tools (drill bids, inserts, saws etc.), Bearings, bushings, rollers, Threads, Fasteners, Gears, Chains, Pistons (automotive and non-automotive), Plungers etc.
About BN Coatings
At Uniqoat we offer various proprietary Boron Nidride (BN) based coatings by mixing it with inorganic nanostructured fullerene like tungsten disulfide IF-WS2. It is well known that BN coatings have excellent high temperature resistance and chemical inertness and IF-WS2 provides outstanding lubricity. So in our custom coatings we combine thermal and chemical stability of BN with excellent lubricity of IF–WS2 thus creating composite coatings that operates well up to 700°C for many applications. Those coatings are excelent candidates for numerous applications in robotics, automotive, aerospace, agricultural and medical industries as well as for casting, cutting, rolling, extruding, pressing, forming and other operations.
Boron Nitride Coatings
Most dry film lubricants have lamella type structure and provide low friction thanks to low shear forces between their crystalline lattices. Boron Nitride (BN), Tungsten Disulfide (WS2), and Graphite are typical representative of such lubricants. The coatings and lubricants based on those materials have very low coefficient of friction, remarkably durable and can withstand high loads in many applications. For many applications only 0.5-1 microns thick, those coatings can be applied to high-precision parts without tolerance problems.
Boron Nitride occupies a unique place among dry lubricants because of its unusual physical, thermal and dielectric properties. BN coatings are especially valuable for high temperature applications because it operates as very good lubricant up to 850 C in oxidizing atmospheres; up to 1372 C in reducing atmospheres and up 3000 C in a vacuum. Typical friction coefficients of HBN in air are 0.15 to 0.2 up to about 700-800°C. Some other important properties of BN coatings include:
[1] Resistance to high temperature corrosion/oxidation
[2] Non-wettable by most molten metals, salts, fluxes and slags
[3] Anti galling and soil resistant properties
[4] Anti-stick barriers during hot pressing operations
BN coating deposited at Uniqoat can be used independently or in continuous matrix of binder to achieve the desired results such as high load bearing, chemical and corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance or high temperature applications. Boron Nitride coating can be applied to refractories, metals, glass, composites and other materials requiring non-wetting, lubricating or refractory protection.
At Uniqoat BN based coatings can be custom formulated by mixing it with IF-WS2 lubricant or various types of polymers to improve it lubricity and maximize cost-efficiency and workability for casting, cutting, rolling, extruding, pressing, forming and other operations. BN has high thermal and chemical stability, while IF –WS2 provides excellent lubricity and this composite coating operates well up to 700°C for many applications.
Some basic technical characteristics of BN and BN/IF-WS2 composite coatings are described in table I.
Table I. Some Basic Characteristics of BN Coatings
Deposition temperature [0- 100oC], maximum working temperature 850oC, hardness could be varied in big range by using different ceramic sublayers.
| Materials | Coating Composition | Thickness (μm) | COF |
| SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | BN | 0.1 – 0.15 | 0.2 – 0.3 |
| SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | BN / IF- WS2 | 1.5 – 3.0 | 0.1 – 0.15 |
| SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | BN / Teflon | 1.5 – 3.0 | 0.15- 0.2 |
About Carbon Based Coatings
At Uniqoat we offer various custom formulated Carbon based coatings. It is well known that carbon based coatings are in growing interest for many industrial applications during last decades. In particular Graphite, Graphene, Diamond Like Carbon and other forms of carbon based coatings have been developed by varying carbon crystalline structure and sp3-to-sp2 bonding ratio. “Uniqoat” engineers have been able to combine unique physical, mechanical, and tribological properties of carbon, IF-WS2 and other solids in order to create new family of coatings that satisfy most demanding specification in various industries: chemical, food and packaging, compressors and pumps, automotive industry (piston rings, camshafts, gears), biomedical applications (surgical instruments), aerospace etc.
About Graphite Coatings
Graphite is another example of lamellar solid lubricant that provides low friction and high wear resistance to sliding surfaces. Because of its good lubricity and low cost, it is used in many industrial applications. Graphite has a layered structure where strongly bonded carbon atoms lie in a plane and the planes are bonded weakly to each other. In moist air, the friction coefficient of graphite varies from 0.07 to 0.15, depending on test conditions. In dry air, inert atmospheres, or vacuum, graphite’s lubricity degrades rapidly, the friction coefficient increases to as high as 0.5, and it wears out quickly. It is well known that the lubricity of graphite is not due to its layered crystal structure alone but depends strongly on the presence of certain condensable vapors and even a small amount of condensable vapor considerably improves the lubricity of graphite.
Graphite can provide lubrication up to about 500°C in open air, although friction tends to increase as the temperature rises. At higher ambient temperatures, it begins to oxidize and lose its lubricity. In vacuum, the friction coefficient is initially high (i.e., 0.4), but decreases to about 0.2 at 1300°C. Graphite is inexpensive and readily available in various forms. It is resistant to both acids and bases.
At Uniqoat we suggest several graphite based coatings that provides excellent lubricity to many metallic and non-metallic parts. It provides also excellent corrosion protection and wear resistance to the surfaces as well as improves thermal barrier, anti-sticking, anti-galling, mold release and more properties of the contacting surfaces. Some basic characteristics of Graphite based coating is shown in Table I
Table I. Some Basic Characteristics of Graphite Coatings
Deposition temperature [0- 100oC], maximum working temperature 500oC, hardness could be varied in big range by using different ceramic sublayers.
|
Materials |
Coating Composition |
Thickness (μm) |
COF |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphite |
1.5 – 2.0 |
0.0.7 – 0.15 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphite / IF- WS2 |
0.5 -1.5 |
0.01 – 0.15 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphite / Teflon |
1.5 – 3.0 |
0.1- 0.15 |
About Graphene Coating
Graphene has received significant attention due to its combination of remarkable mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrical properties. Furthermore, due to its superior strength, graphene has great potential for use as an ultra-thin protective coating for various precision components. It is shown that various graphene coatings can be successfully used to decrease friction and wear in nano-, micro- and macro-mechanical applications. However, the conditions under which graphene serve as an effective protective coating depends on several factors and our coating engineers are ready to assist customers to find best candidate coating for their applications.
Graphene can provide lubrication up to about 650°C in open air and it thermally stable in inert atmosphere up to 2000°C. In oxygen containing atmosphere graphene is ignite and burn starting at about 700°C. In opposite to graphite, the lubricity of graphene does not affected much by presence of moisture or condensable vapors and graphene still excellent lubricant under dry air or vacuum. Depending on test conditions the friction coefficient of graphene varies from 0.001 to 0.15. In addition to outstanding friction behavior graphene coatings demonstrate also excellent wear resistant properties. The key factors that were found to influence the friction and wear behaviors of graphene were number of layers, deposition method, and substrate material. Despite the ultra-thin nature of graphene sheets, they were effective in reducing the friction and wear not only under micro-scale contact loads but also in relatively high loads. It was shown that friction of graphene coatings are decreasing when the numbers of layers are increasing. Overall in recent studies, graphene was shown to be very effective for friction and wear reduction not only as a lubricant but also as an additive to oils, composite materials and solvents.
At Uniqoat we suggest several graphene based coatings that provide excellent lubricity to many metallic and non-metallic surfaces. Those innovative coatings provide excellent lubricity along with corrosion and wear resistance. Some basic characteristics of Graphene based coatings is shown in Table II
Table II. Some Basic Characteristics of Graphene Based Coatings
Deposition temperature [0- 100oC], maximum working temperature 650oC in air and up to 2000 oC in inert atmosphere, hardness could be varied in big range by using different coating sublayers.
|
Materials |
Coating Composition |
Thickness (μm) |
COF |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphene |
0.01 – 0.05 |
0.01 – 0.05 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphene / IF- WS2 |
0.01 – 0.5 |
0.01 – 0.05 |
|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti |
Graphene / Teflon |
0.5 – 1.5 |
0.05- 0.1 |
What are Basic Technical Characteristics of the suggested Coatings?
The performance of each type of coating depends on several factors. In order to select best solution for application it is important to understand all variables and performance indeces. It is well known that some coatings work well in certain environment, under certain temperature and humidity range, while others will fail even with better characteristics. Substrate material also plays an important role for coating performance and for many applications could defines how solid lubricant will work. Some basic characteristics of IF-WS2 based coatings deposited on Stainless Steel (SS), High Speed Steel (HSS), Carbone Steel (CS), Al and Ti alloys are described in Table 1. Maximum working temperature of the coatings depend on several factors and could be reach up to 1472F/800 OC for some application.
Materials | Coating Composition | Thickness (μm) | COF |
|---|---|---|---|
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | IF- WS2 | 0.05 – 0.1 | 0.01 – 0.1 |
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | IF- WS2/Various form of carbon | 1.5 – 3.0 | 0.1 – 0.2 |
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | IF- WS2/ MoS2 | 1.0 – 1.5 | 0.05 – 0.15 |
SS / HSS/ CS/ Al / Ti | IF- WS2/ Teflon | 1.0 – 3.0 | 0.1 – 0.15 |