Airline and printing industry are looking for new techniques to replace electrolytic chrome plating in their machinery because of the toxic and carcinogenic characteristics of hexavalent chromium used in the ECP. Hard chrome platings are compared to thermal sprayed coatings and different techniques are shown. The article gives examples of Hard chrome replacement in printing applications, shows activities of government, airline and textile industries. Different types of coatings, produced with different spraying techniques, are compared in wear and corrosion tests. The results lead to an economical evaluation of HVOF sprayed alternative coatings and gives a hint to the HCAT-Program.

Erosion and cavitation are the life-determining wear mechanisms of water power machines. Provided that suitable surface protection measures are taken, the availability of the machines can be increased and their maintenance costs can be significantly reduced. This paper provides the evaluation of various criteria for the selection of suitable coating systems. It describes results determined experimentally and achieved in operational use in hydropower plants. The paper also provides an estimate of the achievable extension of the maintenance according to the protective measures. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Spray and Fuse coatings are ideally suited to boiler environments. The fusing step gives to optimized coatings a uniform chemistry and microstructure, a metallurgical bonding, no through porosity, a low oxide content and no cracking. The relative simplicity of the traditional processing equipment is suited to on-site and automated application including coating repair. Although enjoying considerable success in traditional boilers, their advance into new applications appears restrained by the issue of substrate property modifications during fusing. This paper studies the modification in substrate boiler tube materials (microstructure and mechanical properties) associated with the coating of advanced NiCrBSi alloys. Charpy impact, tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and thermal expansion coefficient testing between 22°C and 450°C are measured. By optimal coating design to a specific substrate, the effect on mechanical property modifications by fusing could be dramatically reduced to allow new and reliable coatings systems to be demonstrated for advanced applications. The future for Spray and Fuse coatings in boilers is discussed.