Low Friction Surface Coating

Hardide runs very well when in contact with softer materials such as elastomeric seals, packing and metals ranging from Brass to Inconel.

Due to its homogeneous and uniform micro-structure, Hardide polishes as it wears. This offers a distinct advantage over Cemented Carbide or spray coatings where the soft matrix wears away first, causing the surface finish to degrade and the hard carbide particles to prematurely abrade the material that they run against, sometimes known as the "cheese-grater" effect. When compared to diamond or diamond-like coatings in similar applications, Hardide demonstrates superior performance as it can be applied up to ten times more thickly. It can also be machined and it retains lubricating oils like other metals.

Friction Coefficient Tests by ESTL

In air (45 + 8% RH) Ti pin against polished Hardide-coated stainless steel disk

In vacuum <10-5 mbar

Track radius = 10mm
Stroke length = 10mm
Speeds = 0.01 and 0.1 ms-1
Normal load = 5N