Eatonite laser coating breaks corrosion and hardness barriers 01 November 2009

Eaton's Eatonite laser clad coating for piston rods is the first anti-corrosion technology to earn JIP certification, from test services firm DNV, for use on offshore platforms.

"Eatonite technology is a significant breakthrough for upstream, offshore applications in the oil and gas industry," comments Astrid Mozes, general manager of Eaton's Controls Division.

"It will also provide new solutions in industries like hydropower and virtually anywhere piston rods are exposed to severe environmental corrosions," he adds.

"Controlling corrosion is an ongoing challenge offshore," explains Dr Alexander Bogicevic, senior technology manager of Eaton's US Innovation Centre, pointing to problems with piston rods in hydraulic riser tensioning systems.

"Many materials and processes were tested and the result of this multi-year development program was the Eatonite technology," he says. "After proprietary processing, material is twice as hard as conventional Inconel 625 [the corrosion resistant alloy, CRA] but also has good cladding homogeneity due to our laser technology."

Samples made from SAE 4130 steel coated with Eatonite were tested at DNV labs in Høvik, Norway, and Columbus, Ohio, for a wide range of physical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties.

"Eaton is the first and, to date, the only cylinder manufacturing company that has passed the JIP test," confirms Dr Luis F. Garfias, director of testing & qualification for DNV's Materials & Corrosion Technology Centre in Columbus.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Eaton Corporation

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.