Manufacturing Monday: Cerakote

A number of product applications are designed around the deployment of thin ceramic coatings, such as Cerakote™. Cerakote™ is applied as a resin, and it forms a 3-D ceramic matrix as it cures. In order to further improve its properties, additional components are mixed in with the raw resin and then embedded inside the matrix. This technology creates a durable, heat resistant coating. Both metal and non-metal surfaces may be protected using thin ceramic coating technologies such as this. In addition, the formulation of these coatings allows them to tolerate very high temperatures (in excess of 1100°C) without losing their colour and maintaining exceptional performance over the long term. Because of this, these types of coatings are perfect for use on exhausts, pistons, and other components that will be subjected to high temperatures, or in defence and military applications. Even after being subjected to repeated temperature cycles, the several of the commercially available thin ceramic coatings continue to exhibit exceptional adherence, which is why they’ve been adapted for use in protecting gym equipment, and things of the like. In addition, this coating technology offers great protection against corrosion, thermal stress, and thermal barriers for applications that are temperature sensitive.

These thin ceramics coatings such as Cerakote™ have been carefully engineered to provide maximum substrate protection and improved coating performance when compared to traditional powder coating and solvent or water based painting applications. It is renowned for its extraordinary durability, withstanding impact, abrasion, corrosion, and chemical exposure very well.

Quality and consistency of the application is critical to the performance of these thin ceramics coatings. They require great control of the thickness of the coating, which generally ranges from 8 to 25 microns. There is no better way to do this than rely on a well-designed Fanuc paint robot system to get the job done. With digital flow rate control and consistency of applicator tip speed, as well as being able to program a constant gun-to-target distance, you can expect repeatable and consistent results all year round.

Cerakote™ can be applied to any number of surfaces using the FANUC range of paint robots. Check out one of our Engineers, Michael Boonzayer, using Cerakote to coat a part in our Adelaide office, in readiness for Australian Manufacturing Week, using a Paint Mate 200.

If you’re looking to automate your Cerakote™ application, call us today on 1800 ROBOTS (1800 762 687).