ISO 14000 & FDA APPROVALS FOR HARDIDE

Measuring Hardide coating with CMM

Measuring Hardide coating with CMM


Hardide coated ball valves

Hardide coated ball valves


Surface engineering company, Hardide Coatings Limited, has been awarded ISO 14001 certification, the internationally recognised standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for its tungsten carbide coatings manufacturing plant in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

The ISO 14001 certificate represents a worldwide business standard designed to help an organisation manage environmental risk and minimise its impact on the environment.

Jim Murray-Smith, CEO of Hardide plc said: "I am extremely proud that Hardide has been awarded ISO 14001 as it recognises how seriously we take our quality and environmental management responsibilities. Attaining this stringent standard has required commitment to continual improvement in environmental performance from all levels and functions of the organisation which is a credit to all our staff."

"Environmental standards make good business sense particularly in the chemicals sector. Achieving this standard gives further confidence to our customers in industries including oil and gas, and aerospace that Hardide is a responsible and participative company committed to the highest operational standards."

Hardide-T, the unique tungsten carbide-based component coating developed by Hardide, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on food processing equipment.

This opens up significant opportunities for Hardide Coatings to build on its existing European position where Hardide-T is already being used successfully in food processing applications. As a result of the FDA go-ahead, the company has entered tests with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-pressure homogenisers and homogenisation systems, which has global distribution to the food, dairy and beverage industries.

The opportunities for Hardide-T in food manufacturing are primarily in valve, pump and actuator applications where the company has proven success in other industries. Hardide-T offers an unprecedented combination of ultra-hardness, toughness, low friction and chemical resistance when applied to components made from a wide variety of metals. Unlike most ceramics and carbides, Hardide-T is not prone to chipping or flaking, as it will flex with the substrate under severe impact.

Jim Murray-Smith, said: "This is a major development for Hardide as it opens up a vast range of new opportunities for us internationally where we can offer a solution to the many food manufacturing applications where part failure due to wear, corrosion and galling is an issue. We are already working very successfully in this sector in the UK. An example is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies which was having repeated failures with a hard chrome coating which was puncturing and flaking under abrasive conditions, causing the galling of critical ball valves and seats. The life of the parts was increased in excess of 20-fold after being coated with Hardide-T. Hardide’s entry into the food processing sector is a natural progression following the Group’s success in the valve and pump markets within high wear industries such as oil and gas, power generation and chemicals."

FDA Approval

Hardide-T is widely used around the world in aggressive wear or chemical environments in industries including oil and gas, aerospace, valves and pumps. Its unique combination of properties include:

Up to 3500 Hv

accurately controlled thickness ranging from 5 to 100 microns

resists 3000 microstrain deformation without damage to the coating

binder-free

nano-pore, dense, homogeneous structure

superior bond strength due to chemical bond

low coefficient of friction

excellent anti-galling properties and can be used against itself without galling concerns

satin-like ‘as-coated’ surface finish

The coating is also compliant with the new EU REACH regulations and is viewed as an attractive possible alternative to hard chrome and HVOF.

Hardide Coatings is a Hardide plc (AIM:HDD) company. The company has manufacturing facilities in Bicester, Oxfordshire in the UK and Houston, Texas in the USA.

Hardide, Tel: + 44 (0) 1869 353830


Published: 25th September 2009

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