Hardide Regulatory News (HDD)

3 Mar 2009 07:00



Hardide plc 

("Hardide" or the "Group")

Hardide announces success in coating of titanium

Hardide plc (AIM:HDD), the provider of unique metal surface engineering technology, is pleased to announce that it has successfully developed a process to enable the Hardide coating of titanium - a strong but light, high-performance metal commonly used in the aerospace, defence and Formula 1 motorsport industries.

The Group has made a significant technological breakthrough by developing a coating process specifically for titanium. In February 2009, the Group successfully coated its first titanium components for customers in the UK and US, as well as a number of its own test samples. Components manufactured from titanium can now benefit from the unique wear, abrasion and chemical resistant properties of Hardide.

This development gives Hardide access to the global titanium thermal spray coatings market estimated to be worth £100 million per annum. The Group estimates that Hardide-suitable niche applications in the UK alone are worth £10 million annually. 

Titanium is lightweight and offers a combination of mechanical strength and chemical resistance but it suffers from intense galling (severe adhesive wear) which limits its use. Attempts to solve the galling issue by traditional coating methods such as titanium surface oxidising, spray coatings and plating have not provided a reliable solution. Coating with Hardide has shown an excellent load-bearing capacity with an absence of galling and wear, even under high load. Furthermore, Hardide demonstrates strong coating adhesion and doesn't require grinding to finish. Due to its unique combination of benefits, a range of new engineering designs will become possible.

The titanium project has been in research and development for five years but it was fast-tracked to success following the formation last year of the Applications Development Group; part of the strategy adopted to ensure a more focused and commercially-oriented approach to the allocation of resources and development of new applications in the short to medium term.

The Group also announces that it is having constructive discussions with its major customers with regard to receiving firmer forecasts and an announcement will be made, as appropriate, in due course.

Graham Hine, Chief Executive Officer of Hardide plc said: "This is a tremendously exciting and notable development. Titanium is a technically challenging material that is often used in performance-critical high temperature, load-bearing and weight sensitive environments that are ideally suited to Hardide's unique combination of wear resistant properties. We are now processing small scale commercial applications for customers and plan to treat regular batches of volume parts later this year.

"We have been working with customers in the UK and US to develop the process and have had particular interest from companies in the aerospace, defence and Formula 1 industries."

Hardide Coatings Ltd., the Group's UK business has also successfully completed stage 1 of the aerospace industry standard AS9100 certification with full certification scheduled for 2009. This certification is essential for aerospace manufacturing and will enable Hardide to move to commercial operations with many more blue chip companies in this sector.

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Hardide manufactures and applies tungsten carbide-based coatings to a wide range of engineering components. The Group's patented technology provides a unique combination of ultra-hardness, toughness, low friction and chemical resistance in one coating. When applied to components, the technology is proven to offer dramatic cost savings through reduced downtime and extended part life. Customers include leading companies operating in oil and gas exploration and production, valve and pumps manufacturing, general engineering and aerospace.