News Release

New hard chrome facility finds approval with aerospace customers

November 2001

 
Continuing investment in its surface coating facilities is cited by Poeton Industries as one of the main reasons why the company has recently had its manufacturing approvals renewed by leading aerospace customers such as BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and the CAA.

Poeton, a world leader in surface coating technology, holds more than 38 second-party approvals and has held valid approvals from BAE and Rolls Royce for more than 20 years.

The company's Apticote surface coatings are specified by BAE for a variety of applications on actuation and hydraulic systems and landing gear. The BAE approval also covers Poeton's extensive hard chrome facility, which has recently been upgraded to include a new hard chrome vat using the latest technology designed to minimise or eliminate pin-holing.

The scope of Poeton's Rolls Royce approval is equally wide ranging and includes delegated authority to authorise process data cards for non-classified components.

Poeton also has ISO 9002 and TS157 approvals and is currently working to upgrade these to the new ISO 9000-2000 and AS 9100 approvals.

At its Cardiff facility Poeton offers a 'One-Stop-Shop - a complete range of surface treatments for aerospace manufacturers, available from a single source and on a single purchase order.

With many aerospace and defence customers requiring components to be manufactured and supplied complete with surface treatments, Poeton now runs substantial Non Destructive Testing and Paint Spray facilities alongside its already wide range of Electroplated and Anodised coatings. It has transformed the Cardiff facility into one of the most comprehensive "one stop" aerospace surface treatment centres in the UK.

Up to 75% of Cardiff's business comes from leading aerospace manufacturers such as BAE Systems, Messier-Dowty, GKN Westland, APPH, GEC and Rolls Royce. Components treated there include parts for the latest Joint Strike Fighter Project.

Alongside their own unique range of Apticote coatings, more than eighty established treatments are available on the site including key aviation coatings such as Hard Chrome, Sulphamate Nickel, Cadmium, Electroless Nickel and all types of Anodising and Spray Painting. The comprehensive coating service is complemented by a substantial Non Destructive Testing (NDT) facility with Magnetic Flaw Detection, Dye Penetrant, Etch Inspect and Hardness and Conductivity testing.

The latest addition to the exclusive Poeton Apticote range is Apticote 'Keronite' 3000 which offers unrivalled wear and corrosion protection for aluminium, titanium and magnesium.

When applied to magnesium, Apticote 'Keronite' 3000 provides a hardness range from 350 to 600 Hv. This offers manufacturers significant advantages for applications where reduced weight is crucial. It can be used to increase the wear of WE 54 super strong alloys and stiffen ultra thin alloy sections and fabrications. The coating also withstands voltages in excess of 1000v DC making it an ideal surface for electrical and electronic components.

Other advantages include a friction coefficient of less than 0.15 and excellent corrosion and heat resistance. Abrasion resistance is ten times better than steel and adhesive wear resistance is the equivalent of case hardened steel.

The Apticote 3000 Keronite Coatings, which range from 10 to 80 microns, provide a uniform surface layer of predictable thickness that is non-hazardous and, therefore, non-reactive with a variety of chemicals.

Another example of Poeton's long working relationships in the aerospace industry is Sweden's Ericsson Saab Avionics.

When the company prepared for production manufacture of the JAS 39 Gripen military aircraft in 1986, its engineers chose Poeton Industries after evaluation of companies in Sweden and abroad, to provide chrome plating for key components in the aircraft's servo actuators.

Since then, the business relationship between the two companies has blossomed and Ericsson Saab Avionics recently placed a substantial order for components for the next production of JAS 39 Gripen aircraft.

Commenting on the fifteen-year relationship Goran Svensson, project manager, for control systems in Ericsson Saab Avionics airborne equipment division says: "The decision to source from Poeton was taken after visiting a number of different companies and countries. In the end it was the quality, price and service provided by Poeton's Southampton facility that attracted us to the UK."

Since the initial contract for chrome plating, Poeton now also plates other components for Ericsson Saab Avionics and provides shot peening and heat treatment services in what Goran Svensson describes as "a very convenient single-source contract."

The JAS 39 Gripen components are produced on a dedicated production line in Southampton, which was installed following a lengthy development programme that included testing, plating and pre-production trials.

Goran Svensson says Ericsson Saab engineers were impressed with the accuracy Poeton achieved on the hard chrome plating of the 15.5 stainless steel components for the servo actuators.

Poeton applies a substantial layer of chrome using a special procedure developed for controlling the accuracy of the coating. The procedure, which was designed, manufactured, tested and put into production by Poeton's own tooling department, achieves significant savings on both coating and grinding costs.

Poeton claims that few companies in the world can achieve its standards of accuracy.

To discuss sample part processing or technical advice for your surface treatment requirements, call Poeton Industries now on 01452 300500.

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