Ionbond, a proven coating service partner for aerospace

Each aerospace application has its own requirements and quality criteria, mostly because the components need to function in wildly varying environments: in the hot section of the engine, components are exposed to heat and corrosion; in the cold section, to erosion and wear; and in other parts of the aircraft, reliable smooth movement is required. “Many of the aerospace components we coat require low-friction and fretting wear resistance,” says Chris. “Consider bearings, fasteners, actuators, and other moving components that have to keep functioning under difficult environmental circumstances. For these applications, the Tribobond™ 40 (WC-C:H) and Tribobond™ 01 (TiN) coatings are very popular.”

Franck also noted an increase in demand for coatings that can provide even better corrosion and high temperature resistance in the last five years. “Another growth market for the near future,” he says, “is offering PVD coatings for components that currently still use hard chrome plating. Once hard chrome plating is no longer allowed in Europe, PVD can provide similar surface characteristics. The right coating also contributes to the sustainability of air travel and reduction of its carbon footprint – by reducing wear and fuel consumption and increasing service intervals.”

“One thing that sets Ionbond apart from our competitors is our capacity to coat larger components, up to 1.4m long,” says Chris. “In addition to this large-scale coating equipment, we also have smaller machines to efficiently coat small lots.” Franck adds: “Turnaround time is very important in aerospace, especially if an airplane is stuck on the ground, waiting for a replacement part. We are proud to offer good, reliable turnaround times in general and an optional fast AOG service.”

Ionbond is also known for its excellent engineering teams. Both Chris and Franck confirm that they are very open to customization and development at their respective plants in the UK and France. “We are actively involved in developing custom solutions for unusual or unique challenges,” says Franck. “Our engineers are always searching for new coatings and bespoke solutions to solve specific challenges.”

Sometimes, this takes the form of unique manufacturing capabilities. Chris: “We are proud to offer our rapid prototyping service for mask designs, important for when drawings call up areas of components that need to be free of coating. With 3D printing technology, we can quickly test and iterate masking methods to achieve clean lines with no diffuse areas between the masked and coated regions. This reduces time to market as we can order production masks from our contractors more quickly and with confidence.”