The heat of the matter

Thermal processing is a crucial stage of the manufacturing process. It can have a substantial effect on the performance and lifetime of many component parts and provide many hours of extended lifetime, saving material wastage, cost and, most importantly, lives.

For Bodycote, the aerospace and defence industry forms a considerable amount of the work it carries out. With aerospace quality accredited facilities around the globe, often strategically placed to serve major international aerospace customers, Bodycote provides solutions to thermal processing requirements which offer reliable and repeatable results.

Having recently restructured its offering into two major businesses – Aerospace, Defence & Energy and Automotive & General Industrial – the company has aligned its services with its customers' requirements, enabling access to the experience, expertise and technology that sets Bodycote apart.

In terms of its offering, thermal processing covers several core technologies: heat treatments, metal joining, hot isostatic pressing and surface technology. Within these core technologies, the company can provide a range of services from standard processes to leading edge, proprietary technologies, which have been developed to provide the industry with solutions to specific metallurgical issues.

There are many thermal processing technologies which offer benefits to aerospace applications, but Bodycote really comes to the fore on some of the most specialised treatments, such as single crystal heat treatment, vacuum brazing, honeycomb brazing, powder metallurgy near-net-shape, HIP diffusion bonding, thermal spray coating and cold gas dynamic spray.

For many companies working within the aerospace industry supply chain, there are several key drivers for choosing to outsource non-core thermal processing services versus performing these operations in-house. In-house equipment is often a costly overhead, requiring frequent maintenance and regular staff training. It's a drain on energy and financial resources. Equipment is often dated, underutilised and therefore inefficient. Outsourcing these non-core operations relieves customers of these issues and enables them to more easily commit to carbon reduction initiatives. In many geographic jurisdictions this can lead to additional value generation as carbon reduction legislation is brought into force.

As part of its commitment to improving environmental standards, Bodycote is working closely with prime manufacturers and their supply chains towards developing and offering alternative processes which provide reduced negative environmental impact versus some older technologies used in more mature manufacturing processes.

Ongoing development of existing and new technologies has enabled Bodycote to offer manufacturers thermal processing solutions that make a positive contribution to their production. Older technologies, such as chrome plate and salt bath processes, have been largely superseded by modern, environmentally- friendly alternatives, such as HVOF coatings and gas or plasma nitriding, respectively, which are able to deliver improved component performance.

Specialised metal joining techniques, such as electron beam welding and diffusion bonding using hot isostatic pressing, can be used to join dissimilar materials and, in the case of HIP diffusion bonding using powder metallurgy technology, solid metal can be bonded to powder, offering truly unique material options. Bodycote's expertise in the field of powder metallurgy means that customers can expand their horizons in the creation of component parts, which may not be cost-effective to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. Many of these technologies enable customers to reduce costly production stages such as machining, and can virtually eliminate material wastage in some cases.

Bodycote is one of the world leaders in all these areas, and its process portfolio is synergistic to the needs of the modern day manufacturer. The company will be showcasing at this year's Farnborough Airshow, where it will have its largest presence to date.

www.bodycote.com