Research and Development

The Group maintains an active research and development programme that continues to keep Hardide at the forefront of advances in surface engineering technology. The programme encompasses:

• New Hardide coating variants
• Customer-specific applications
• Coating process enhancements
• Continual production improvements

Development work on new coating variants is undertaken with customer partners and ongoing projects include coatings for titanium, diamonds and gas turbine blades with test programmes underway with customers in the UK, US and Canada.

Coating for titanium represents a significant breakthrough with the coating of a high-performance metal commonly used in the aerospace, defence and Formula 1 industries. The coating for industrial diamond materials used in oil and gas drilling tools retains, protects and strengthens the diamonds thereby significantly enhancing the tool's durability and performance. The coating for gas turbine blades increases blade durability and improves its resistance to erosion from hard particles and high speed water droplets.

Each of the Group's new coating development projects is focused on applications that offer significant operating performance and cost benefits to customers.