New York - November 9, 2001 -- The ability to prevent or slow down the corrosion caused by harsh environmental elements or reactions to chemical immersion is a growing requirement in the industrial marketplace.

Supertough coating technology provides the properties needed to combat wear resistance, friction coefficients, reflectivity, electrical conductivity and surface tension component wear by creating a protective surface on a material or component.

"Industries use tough coatings to hinder the deterioration of components that occurs in both high- and low-temperature environments," says Technical Insights Analyst Joe Constance. "Tough coatings, and the continuing development of this technology, are allowing novel and diverse approaches to extend component life, and are lowering machinery replacement costs industry wide."

The use of tough coatings continues to stretch into a variety of applications and environments. Tough coatings battle the adhesive that occurs when surfaces slide against one another, and fragments from one surface adhere to the other. They also fight the abrasive wear that occurs when a harder surface moves or rubs in contact with a softer one. Tough coatings battle the abrasive particles that exist between moving surfaces, and provide protection when fibers or threads are drawn across surfaces at high speeds.

Tough coatings address many other types of wear such as fretting wear, a result of vibration and rotational stress between bolted flanges and collars, causing minute but destructive pitting and mechanical failure. They prevent the impact wear from when repetitive separation and closure breaks down a surface. Coatings decrease cavitation, which exists when liquids flowing at high pressure and velocity transmit hydraulic shock that fatigues and degrades a surface.

There are varieties of coating systems that address these applications, including systems composing aluminum-bronze, copper-nickel, oxide and carbide materials. Heat-resistant coatings inhibit the transfer of heat by establishing a thermal barrier between a substrate and a high temperature environment. Oxidation-resistant coatings provide protection when metals are exposed to high temperatures in air, such as in furnaces, continuous-cast molds, galvanizing tanks and combustor liners.

"Generally, an important priority when applying hard, tough coatings to industrial cutting tools and other tribological components is to optimize a component's wear protection," says Constance. "In recent years, research has shown that other surface properties, including frictional behavior and wettability, play an important role in the development of durable films and coatings."

New analysis by Technical Insights, a business unit of Frost & Sullivan, Supertough Coatings, reveals that supertough coating systems have the potential to prevent wear and corrosion in industrial mechanisms, resulting in increased effectiveness and longevity.

Frost & Sullivan is a global leader in strategic market consulting and training. Acquired by Frost & Sullivan, Technical Insights is an international technology research business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and reports. The ongoing research on supertough coatings is covered in Advanced Coatings and Surface Technology, a Technical Insights Subscription Service and in The European Market for Powder Coatings and European Industrial Coatings Market, Frost & Sullivan market analysis reports. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.