Duralar Technologies, Tucson, Ariz., USA-area developer of advanced, ultra-hard metal coatings and coating machines has introduced its new ArmorLube™ coating. Providing both dry lubrication and exceptional hardness, the coating is designed to enhance the performance of a range of metal products and parts in a variety of industries.

"ArmorLube coatings are created from a proprietary carbon-based formula," said Duralar CTO Tom Casserly, PhD. "The carbon provides a natural graphitic lubricity and an extremely low coefficient of friction—less than 0.08. ArmorLube coating is well suited for applications that require a clean, dry, permanent lubrication—without needing oils or greases, which can accumulate dirt and cause fouling."

Casserly noted that ArmorLube's dry lubrication can improve product performance in a broad spectrum of applications that involve repetitive metal-on-metal sliding contact. In firearms, for example, ArmorLube can be effectively applied to hammers, bolts, bolt carriers, and many other parts in automatic and semiautomatic rifles. Originally, a Duralar subsidiary developed ArmorLube for the US ARMY to enhance the capability and reliability of soldier weapon systems. However, the coating is also useful for many other applications including critical industrial bearings and other moving parts that cannot risk running out of lubrication.

 

"In addition to lubricity, ArmorLube also provides extreme hardness, up to 1500 HV, and it is highly wear resistant, so the friction performance lasts," Casserly added. "Plus, it is highly corrosion resistant and chemically inert—and it is created using eco-friendly processes." 

The company pointed out that ArmorLube can be simultaneously applied to both the inside and outside surfaces of metal parts -- using the Duralar CS-50 deposition system and its proprietary DualArmor process. This bathes metal parts in a dense plasma, so that all surfaces—interior, exterior, and complex 3D shapes—are coated with high uniformity and at a very high rate, without the line-of-sight limitations of spray-type coatings. The high deposition speed also enables ArmorLube coatings to be very thick—up to 15µm, if desired—for very high-wear applications. 

The Duralar CS-50 deposition system which applies ArmorLube is designed for high throughput in volume-coating environments, with volumes determined by part size. The standard deposition chamber is 60 in. by 10 in. in diameter, and custom configurations can be created to fit the needs of an OEM. The equipment features advanced process control, intuitive operator interface, and recipe-driven processes. And by adjusting ArmorLube recipes, the coating can be tailored to specific application requirements.

Duralar Technologies is a global nanotechnology company and developer of Duralar high-performance coatings and coating systems. The company specializes in advanced ultra-hard coatings that are replacing many previous generations of metal coatings in a range of industries and applications. Duralar Technologies was founded in 2013 by Andrew Tudhope, a Silicon Valley executive and entrepreneur with extensive experience in coating technologies. In 2016, the company acquired ownership of Sub-One Systems, another hard-coatings equipment company. The same year, Duralar Technologies Japan Inc. was established, with Asian headquarters in Yokohama and an additional technology center in Nagasaki. 

 

 More information is available online.