HyProMag is looking to develop protective coating solutions for sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets. HyProMag's patented technology provides a route for manufacturing rare earth magnets utilising end of life components as feedstock. Sintered NdFeB magnets are ubiquitous today and are used in a wide variety of applications from loudspeakers to EV motors to pump and filtration solutions, with most applications requiring a coating on the magnet for corrosion protection. HyProMag is looking for commercially viable and environmentally conscious coating solutions for NdFeB magnets. Indestructible Paint will study compatibility, application and corrosion protection of sintered NdFeB magnets, first with existing products, then with bespoke coatings.

This project will mature and validate a range of innovative materials and processes to underpin a future wide-body Business Class (BC) seat to be known as "EcoSuite" and to enable substantial enhancements to Wide-body First Class (FC) bespoke seats. The innovations introduced via EcoSuite are aimed at addressing market concerns around weight, environmental impact, lead-time and cost. Realisation of the EcoSuite will require the project to mature a range of sustainable and lightweight materials, develop and refine new efficient manufacturing processes, and validate the new material and process technologies via the integration of the new technologies into EcoSuite demonstrators.

Industrial sectors including aerospace, automotive & defence rely heavily on adhesive bonding for structural strength & lightweighting, reducing the need for riveting & welding. Bonding systems for aluminium alloys comprise surface pretreatment, bond primers & structural adhesives. The state-of-the-art surface treatment & bond primers used in the aerospace industry incorporate chromium as a corrosion inhibitor. However, the chromium used is toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic and will be banned from use from January 2019 under REACH legislation. Chrome-free alternatives need to meet the very high demands of the aerospace industry for adhesive strength or corrosion resistance. The consortium of Indestructible Paint (specialist coatings manufacturer), Loughborough University (Materials Department, Surface Technology), Bombardier Aerospace & Poeton Limited (Tier 1 supplier of surface treatment to industry) will collaborate to develop and test bond primer formulation & process innovation with the objective to develop an optimised bond primer system meeting aerospace industry specification requirements.

Thermal management of components in the hot sections of jet engines is critical to the development of more efficient engines and thereby to the delivery of the industry's ambitious emissions reductions targets. To date there are no methods available providing component temperature mapping without data gaps, without REACH restrictions and without commercial restrictions.Furthermore Sensor Coating Systems has shown over the past 18 months a sigificant interest from the automotive industry using the new technology in low temperature regimes. Providing this facility would deliver game changing capability of significant commercial value to the industry and the facility provider. Sensor Coating Systems (SCS) aims to be that facility provider. SCS is developing thermal history sensors for use in extreme environments inside gas turbines and jet engines. This patented technology comprises sensors with memory that record the temperature to which they have been exposed so that it can be read out off-line. The objective of this project is to scale up the paint manufacturing and develop robust signal processing methodologies in combination with off-the-shelf automation equipment. This will establish a rapid surface temperature mapping technology that can be offered as a commercial measurement system or service for the aerospace, power generation, automotive, milling industry and in other industrial sectors.

The proposed project is to advance the formulation of a novel SolGel Magnesium (Mg) pretreatment, which has succesfully demonstrated feasibility in a recently concluded Technology Inspired Innovation between Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and Indestructible Paint Limited (IPL). With a view to the ultimate exploitation as part of a Chromate (Cr6+) free coating system for the treatment of Mg alloys for use primarily in the aerospace sector but with cross-over potential into the automotive and nuclear sectors. This is of significant commercial importance as a result of the impending implementation of European environmental legislation - REACH: which as things stand currently will prohibit the use of Cr6+ from 2017 onwards. Applicant IPL are a leading producer of specialist coatings for the aerospace market and will extensively consult IP holder Dr Heming Wang of SHU to advance the SolGel formulation, which has demonstrated feasibility on simple shapes and small volumes of Mg alloy. Challenges to be overcome are associated with the upscaling of production, exothermic reaction control, formulation stability, consistency of production, formulation efficacy, particle dispersion and ensuring appropriate shelf life.

Hexavalent chromates set the benchmark for corrosion protection for a number of industries and they are essential for the safety of current Aerospace products. However, EU REACH legislation has tightly restricted the sale and use of these chemical substances which creates a business continuity threat to the UK and EEA supply chains. One key technology is chromate conversion coatings (CCC) that are essential for the protection of aluminium components. While there are a number of proposed alternatives on the market, previous work has identified these to be unsuitable. A consortium has been brought together in order to develop and industrialise CCC alternatives to ensure that they meet stringent requirements set by the Aerospace industry. The lifetimes of these hex-chrome technologies will be measured using advanced methodology so that they can be safely introduced into Aerospace products. Furthermore, the new technologies will be available for the entire UK supply chain to use, including for other industries such as medical, automotive, oil and gas.

The aerospace engine and industrial gas turbine industry have historically used corrosion resistant coatings manufacturfed from precursors that contain hexavalent chrome. These slurry based coatings are cost effective and offer the best corrosion resistance. The REACH regulations will ban the use of the hexavalent chrome precursors from Septmber 2017. New coatings therefore need to be developed that offer the same or better high temperature corrosion resistance without a significant increase in cost. A consortium of Siemens, Rolls Royce, Indestructible Paint and Monitor Coatings have come together to develop new hexavalent chrome free slurry coatings that can be applied to high temperature components in gas turbines. Three new forumaltions will be developed and tested within the programme with the aim of taking the technology to TRL4 by the end of the project, and to introducing the coatings into service within thrtee years after the end of the project.

European legislation (REACh regulations) requires the elimination of hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+), which is carcinogenic, by September 2017. Existing sacrificial coatings, used for corrosion protection in aerospace, all contain Cr6+ and, therefore, must be replaced. Currently available alternatives do not give acceptable performance, so new replacement materials are needed. A complete supply chain consortium, plus academic and CATAPULT support, has been brought together to address this issue. This project aims to formulate a new sacrificial coating for corrosion protection of steel aero-engine components that is free from hexavalent chromium and demonstrate the technology to TRL5. In addition, improved, cost-effective application methodology will be developed, incorporating automation where appropriate, to increase manufacturing rate and capacity and reduce waste. Furthermore, in a field traditionally developed on an empirical basis, this project aims to provide an improved science based understanding of the coating behaviour, which will underpin the innovative sacrificial coating technology being developed.

Indestructible Paint Limited, in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam Universities Materials Engineering Research Institute shall undertake a 12 month programme of development work in order to progress novel, initially successful materials, which can potentially be used as a substitute for Chromate coatings of Magnesium alloys. Chromates are set to be banned for such application through EU REACH legislation from 2016 onwards, and are currently widely used for coating of Magnesium alloys in the aerospace sector. Successful development will result in a pre-production Chrome free coating system, which will require industry development, testing and approval before it can be commerciallised. Regardless it will represent a significant step toward the elimination of Chromates in Magnesium treatment whichl has significant implications for the long term viability of aerospace manufacture in Europe.

The development of the Thermal History Paint, conceived and patented by SCS, is much needed in a wide range of industrial markets. The paint records temperature information by going through irreversible changes which can be detected non-destructively using specialised hand-held read-out equipment. The system, comprising the paint read-out device, has several fundamental and game changing advantages over the current state-of-the-art technology. This project will support the development of the technology to demonstration level so that it can be showcased to the identified market. Within the project, the paint will be shown to survive in the harsh environments in which it will likely be employed and an industrially suitable hand-held device will be constructed to perform reliable, accurate temperature measurements on complex components.

Cr6+ chemistry dominates the field of corrosion protection; however, its elimination by 2016 as currently recommended by REACH, requires new alternates to be found. Some alternatives have been proposed, but there is no wide acceptance of them and the acceptance criteria and test regime to support new developments, other than salt fog testing, which is widely seen as inadequate, do not exist. This is of particular concern to the aerospace industry as critical aerospace applications require the use of “paint finishes to protect the base metal from corrosion for up to 40 years to ensure the safety of passengers” (ASD position paper to ECHA, dated 13 September 2011). The development of valid, industry wide test methodologies, application of these to the development of REACH compliant replacements suitable for rapid deployment before 2016 is thus required. A consortium has been brought together to address this issue over 2 years.

A consortium consisting of Energenics Europe Ltd, Indestructible Paint Ltd and Monitor Coating Ltd has been awarded a TSB grant to develop a nanoparticle-based coating solution for high performance applications. Aerospace coatings are expected to perform in demanding environments and are subjected to very high levels of UV exposure which degrades their structure. This makes the coatings more susceptible to erosion through high speed impacts with dust particles and vapour droplets and can eventually lead to operational failure. Coatings on wind turbine blades (particularly offshore) are prone to similar degradation mechanisms. The project aims to develop a nanoparticle-based solution that simultaneously improves both the UV protection properties and the mechanical resilience of high performance coatings. This will extend re-painting intervals, significantly reducing maintenance costs and contribute to the sustainability of these high growth markets in the longer term.

No abstract available.