Within the defence industry, exceptionally high demands are placed on materials and surface treatments. Equipment must function under extreme climatic conditions, heavy mechanical loads, and long-term deployment, often in corrosive or polluted environments. Reliability, predictability, and adherence to established specifications are crucial in this regard.
Strict requirements are placed on both visible and functional components of defence applications. This includes vehicle components, structural parts, fasteners, housings, and mechanical modules. Not only corrosion protection and wear resistance are decisive, but also aspects such as low build-up, dimensional stability, coefficient of friction, and compatibility with assembly processes. NFB supports OEMs and suppliers within defence with controlled, reproducible coating processes that meet these requirements.
Which coating properties are critical to performance
- Very high corrosion protection (long-lasting protection, even when damaged).
- Mechanical resistance to wear, impact and vibration.
- Consistent friction values for reliable assembly and disassembly.
- Chemical and climatic resistance (salt, moisture, fuels, oils).
- Reproducibility and documentation in accordance with established specifications.
- Process control and traceability within the supply chain.
- Infrared detection facility etcetera
Materials
NFB processes a wide range of metals used in defence applications, including steel, high-strength steel, aluminium, cast iron, and magnesium. The surface treatment is tailored to the functional requirements of the component and the applicable specifications of OEMs and their suppliers. In doing so, we take into account both technical performance and service life and maintenance intervals.
Methods
A commonly used method within defence is Cataphoresis (KTL/e-coat). This technique offers a very uniform coating layer with excellent anti-corrosion properties, even on complex shapes and in hollow spaces. In combination with a suitable conversion layer, KTL forms a reliable basis for long-lasting protection.
Where additional properties are required, KTL can be combined with powder coating. This allows for specific control over:
- thickness;
- Mechanical resistance;
- chemical resistance;
- controlled friction properties on functional contact surfaces;
- product-specific features such as low infrared detection.
Each product can undergo a customer-specific pre-treatment and coating process. The processes are highly automated and continuously monitored by process monitoring and experienced operators. This occurs both internally and externally. In this way, NFB guarantees constant quality, high process reliability, and complete reproducibility – essential within defence-related applications.
