core sector communique

Surface treatment: Nickel material from ThyssenKrupp VDM optimizes hard facing

In a two-year research project metallurgists at ThyssenKrupp VDM have succeeded in optimizing the filler material Nicrofer S 6020 (FM625) for hard facing in line with customer and market requirements. This high-alloy corrosion material is mainly used in the oil, gas and chemical industries as well as in heat exchangers in waste incineration plants. The new Nicrofer S 6020 improves the quality of hard facing to such an extent that costly reworking, e.g. time-consuming grinding, can be largely eliminated. As well as the time saving, the optimized Nicrofer S 6020 offers even greater corrosion protection, further enhancing the performance of hard facing overlays in aggressive media.

Hard facing is a thermal coating process in which a wear- and corrosion-resistant overlay material is bonded metallurgically with the base material. Corrosion protection is an important issue, particularly when the material is used under such extreme conditions as those prevailing in waste incinerator heat exchangers, one of many key applications of Nicrofer S 6020. In applications like these the versatile material is exposed to particularly aggressive gases at temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. This places extreme demands on the reliability and quality of the corrosion protection. Applying Nicrofer S 6020 to lower-alloyed - and thus less expensive - tubes in heat exchangers reduces part damage and significantly prolongs the life of this material-intensive equipment.

ThyssenKrupp VDM GmbH is one of the world's leading suppliers of nickel alloys and high-alloy special stainless steels. Its main customers are in the plant engineering, energy, oil, gas, electrical, electronics, automotive and aerospace industries. The company has production facilities in Werdohl, Altena, Unna and Siegen as well as a sales office in Frankfurt/M.. It also has two plants in the USA and a global sales and distribution network. In the 2008/2009 fiscal year roughly 1,700 employees generated sales of 743 million euros