Aerospace, Motorsport, Oil Exploration and other high performance industries share a common need for superb performance and outstanding reliability. In their quest for these, combined with their requirements of low cost and low maintenance, they are already challenging the limits of existing materials and of engineering. Diamond Hard Surfaces Limited (DHS) has demonstrated a process to deposit carbon onto substrates such as mechanical components, tools and engine parts, in an innovative process that forms an ultra-high performance coating – “Amorphous Carbon in Diamond Form” – which not only far exceeds the performance of existing and alternative coatings and confers on the substrates properties of higher durability, strength and reliability but also provides additional potential benefits of being able to coat thicker and coating parts, materials and geometries which other companies are unable to undertake. Its properties are proving to be highly attractive to potential customers. DHS’s deposition process has been developed to proof of concept stage and has enabled DHS to prove its technology in principle; DHS needs to develop it to be usable on a range of substrate sizes and in a commercial production process that is flexible and customisable, to respond to requests for services. This SMART project will enable DHS to develop a prototype production process for its coating that is scalable, fully controllable and understood technically, enabling DHS to exploit its unique technology in a full production coating service that is both market leading, competitive and cost effective for its customers. It will be tested by a potential customer for a specific end user application on completion of the project and, once in production is projected to have the potential to save end users over $12 billion per annum in improved efficiency and reductions breakdowns and down time.

This project brings together the combined expertise of automotive, aerospace and energy conversion systems companies, and academic experts, to develop solutions for high temperature capable power electronic converters. The expertise developed on this project will enable the consortium companies to develop compact and cost-reduced converter solutions that will harden and demonstrate UK-based expertise and help to accelerate the adoption of hybrid and full electric vehicles as well as contribute to global carbon emissions targets. The main key to achieving this goal is to eliminate the significant cost and weight of the cooling system by producing a solution that can operate at high temperatures while maintaining reliability objectives.

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