Tungsten Carbide Coating

Protect metal components from wear and increase their service life with the high tensile strength of tungsten carbide coating. It combines tungsten and carbon to create a near-diamond hardness that insulates equipment and hardware against abrasive mechanical wear. This material is commonly used in high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) coatings as it creates a tightly bonded layer and preserves tungsten carbide’s hardness.

Hale Performance Coatings offers expert services that will enhance your component’s strength and optimize application performance. If you’re unsure if tungsten carbide coating is the right solution for you, we will assess your project requirements and provide an appropriate recommendation.

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What is Tungsten Carbide Coating?

It’s a coating method that combines a hard, dense metal, like tungsten, with carbon to create a carbide. The process involves spraying a thin layer of that combination onto a metal substrate to provide added protection against wear and impact. It can withstand abrasion, sliding, high pressure, repeated contact and corrosion. It’s a more cost-effective solution that offers similar results compared to solid tungsten carbide components. You can reap the benefits of creating a composite system without the heaviness and brittleness of a fully manufactured piece of equipment.

Why Tungsten Carbide Coating is Applied Using HVOF

It’s applied in powder form to create a thick particulate layer that bonds to the metal substrate and “locks” in place. HVOF allows for an even coating without overheating and maintains hardness without degrading the structural integrity of tungsten carbide. HVOF application uses lower temperatures and higher spraying velocity to adhere particles to the substrate surface before they can overheat. They also flatten on impact, building a tightly compacted protective layer with minimal delamination.

Benefits of Tungsten Carbide Coating

Exceptional wear resistance: Because of its high durability and hardness, tungsten carbide is highly resistant to abrasive materials like sand, dirt and slurry. That prevents micro-cutting, galling, deformation and erosion and improves part stability even in the most challenging environments.
Improved service life: Application stress can lead to structural failure. Seals may crack, pump shafts can lose tolerance and valves may leak if the metal substrate isn’t protected. Providing an extra layer of resistance can help your equipment operate more efficiently for a longer service period.
Reduced downtime: Slower surface degradation means less downtime. Your components will last longer, so you can reduce the risk of unexpected failures and equipment rebuilds. That elevates application reliability and output.
Lower maintenance costs: Tungsten carbide slows wear progression, which reduces total lifecycle cost. You’re less likely to need replacements and resurfacing, lowering labor costs and inventory demand.

Common Tungsten Carbide Coating Types

Each coating contains a different metallic binder that alters the tungsten carbide’s toughness and stability. Common variations include:

Tungsten carbide cobalt: This coating incorporates cobalt, which provides strong mechanical bonding and hardness retention. It’s ideal for non-corrosive environments like agriculture applications and hydraulic equipment.
Tungsten carbide cobalt chrome: Chromium serves as the binder to boost corrosion resistance. It can withstand oxidation, making it a good choice for components used in moist environments and chemical applications.
Tungsten carbide nickel: Nickel has anti-corrosion properties that withstand acids and caustics. It has a slightly lower hardness than tungsten carbide cobalt, but higher ductility. That’s important for chemical and food processing applications.

Industries That Use Tungsten Carbide Coatings

Aerospace: You can coat turbine blades, engine parts and landing gear with tungsten carbide to protect them against high temperature erosion and abrasive wear.
Manufacturing: Hydraulic rods used in manufacturing processes must resist scoring and maintain their smoothness to support consistent operations. That’s why tungsten carbide is useful for protecting cylinder rods, pistons and actuator shafts.
Oil and gas: The reliability of this coating makes it an ideal coating for pump shafts, valve seats and drilling components used in corrosive, high-pressure environments in the oil and gas industry.
Automotive: Pistons, cylinders and transmission machinery can benefit from a tungsten carbide coating to enhance their durability and reduce corrosion.
Mining: The constant exposure to abrasive materials like rocks and slurry requires equipment with a durable coating. You’ll find tungsten carbide layers on wear plates, drill rods and chute liners.
Industrial equipment: Metal-to-metal contact in industrial applications can increase friction. Using tungsten carbide helps maintain your equipment’s structural integrity without extensive maintenance requirements.

How It Compares to Other Coatings

Chrome plating: While hard chrome offers good wear resistance and a smooth surface finish, it’s prone to microcracks and porosity compared to tungsten carbide. That’s especially true in environments that present severe abrasion risks.
Thermal spray ceramics: Ceramic coatings have strong chemical resistance, but they don’t have the added toughness provided by the metallic binder in tungsten carbide. That makes it superior against impacts and mechanical stress.
Nitriding: This process involves using heat to diffuse nitrogen into steel to create a hardened layer. That produces a strong surface that won’t delaminate. Tungsten carbide offers much higher hardness that can prevent abrasion, even in softer substrates.

Trust Hale Performance Coatings with Your Project

Hale Performance Coatings offers tungsten carbide coating as part of our HVOF thermal spray services. Our in-house operations give you direct access to our technicians who are ready to assist and answer questions. Contact our team for a quote or to schedule a consultation.

FAQs

How thick is tungsten carbide coating?

Tungsten carbide can be applied up to 0.020 thickness.

Can tungsten carbide coating be ground or finished?

Yes, but it typically requires a diamond grinding wheel due to its abrasion-resistant nature. You can polish and finish this coating material to reduce friction.

Is tungsten carbide coating corrosion-resistant?

Yes, though it may be affected by hydrofluoric and nitric acid at high temperatures.

What substrates can be coated?

Tungsten carbide is suitable for steel, copper, titanium, plastics, composites, and masonry.

Can tungsten carbide coating replace hard chrome plating?

Yes, especially in applications in which the use of hexavalent chromium in chrome plating is restricted.

Is tungsten carbide coating suitable for high-temperature applications?

Yes, as it has one of the highest melting points in engineered materials and exhibits limited thermal expansion.

Does tungsten carbide coating affect part dimensions?

When tungsten carbide is applied, we grind it back to the finish size tolerance to repair the part and restore the dimension.