Polymet Increases Cored Wire Capacity

Polymet Corporation, a wire manufacturer for hardfacing, welding, and thermal spraying, announced that it will increase its capacity for their cored wire process.  The company plans on upgrading current machinery as well as purchasing an additional mill to drive production.

Cored wire, also known as flux cored wire and metal cored wire, has become a staple at Polymet alongside hot extruded solid wire products.  Cored wire consists of an outer metallic sheath housing an internal powder core, suitable for both thermal spraying and MIG welding operations.  Business for these cored wire products have grown tremendously for Polymet over the last several years and increasing capacity will enable production to meet the growing demand.

A major capital investment for this project will include the additional of a new mill.  This will allow for significantly larger output, shorter lead times for customers, and the ability for research and development engineers to experiment more frequently.  Improvements to existing machinery will also take place.  The project is expected to be completed over the next 8 to 10 months.

“Our cored wire products have really taken off over the years, especially for the thermal spray industry,” says Bob Unger, Sales Manager at Polymet.  “It is critical for us to deliver the attention necessary to increase our output for these products.  I am very excited to be involved in the development and growth of this area at Polymet.”

Polymet Launches New Thermal Spray Powder Product Line

Polymet Corporation, a well-known industry leader of hardfacing, welding, and thermal spray wire, introduced thermal spray powder to its successful line of products.  Polymet is eager to extend its presence in the thermal spray industry by offering High Velocity Oxy-Fuel thermal spray powder.  These HVOF materials will offer high density, low porosity, and high bond strength.

Prior to the addition of powder to the product line, Polymet provided thermal spray materials for wire arc spray and wire flame spray processes.  Now, tungsten carbide-based powders for HVOF systems will be joining the successful group of thermal spray products.  Tungsten carbides have excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance properties.  Polymet will focus on the following four tungsten carbides: WC-12Co, WC-17Co, WC-10Ni, and WC-10Co-4Cr.  Each product will be -45/+15 microns in size.

“Through this new product offering, Polymet will be reaching new prospects and finally meeting the needs of existing customers requiring powder in addition to wire,” says Pete Humphries, Marketing Manager for Polymet.  “This is truly a product that can generate growth in our company,” Pete states, “I am very excited to be at the forefront of this new line.”  Pete will be responsible for heading the thermal spray powder campaign.

Countless applications can be processed with Polymet materials in industries such as aerospace, power generation, automotive, and petrochemical.  As an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer, Polymet assures the highest levels of quality in their materials.

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Hardfacing Welding Wire Manufacturer Polymet to Attend Svarka-Welding 2012

Polymet Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high performance hardfacing wire, welding wire, and thermal spray wire located in Cincinnati, will exhibit at the 15^th international welding exhibition «Svarka-Welding 2012» in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 15-18.

Svarka-Welding Exhibition is one of the biggest events in Russia dedicated to showcasing a full spectrum of metal forming, fabricating, and welding equipment and technology. Within its 40 year history, Svarka-Welding has taken the leading position among other large industrial forums in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries. It is now regarded as a very important event, targeted to develop the Russian welding industry and aim for the modernization of the industrial sector of the Russian economy and its rapid technical advancement.

Polymet will focus on exhibiting its high performance industrial line of hardfacing and welding wire as well as emphasizing the quality of its thermal spray products. POLYSTEL, POLYTUNG, and POLYWEAR products will be at the forefront of the industrial showcase. Iron and nickel-based alloy products will take the lead for thermal spray.   

Danny Newman, sales manager for Polymet Corporation states, “This will be our second trade show in Russia where we’ll be presenting our latest hardfacing and welding solutions.  Russia is a market with huge growth potential. We are actively looking for representatives and distributors to help get our product line into this rapidly growing industry. This show will give us a great opportunity to showcase our hardfacing welding and thermal spray products as well as to meet potential partners and customers.”

Comparison of Deposits of Wires

At Polymet Corporation, we are committed to delivering the highest quality product to our customers.  Relying on our professional expertise, we also believe in providing knowledgeable and helpful industry-related information.  As a manufacturer of high-performance hardfacing wire, welding wire, and thermal spray wire, we understand that deposition is critical during surface enhancement.

Wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and electrical conductivity are just a few examples of surface properties that can be considerably transformed by applying a weld or thermal spray coating.  The article found below, written by Polymet experts Robert Unger, Richard Cook, and William Mosier, compares deposits of wires applied by welding, thermal spraying coating, and spray and fuse processes.

The specific methods of deposition Polymet assessed included Gas Metal Arc Welding, Wire Arc Spray, and Spray and Fuse.  The evaluation of these methods focused on the mechanical properties of deposits of three different alloys:  PMET 273 (FeCrBSi Amorphous Alloy), PMET 860 (Alloy 625), and POLYTUNG NiCrBWC.   All three metal cored wire materials have shown success in high-wear applications in both welded and sprayed form.

Key take-away points from the article:

• Deposition process advantages
• Insight into industry-leading surface enhancement materials
• Test results on metallography, microhardness, abrasion, and adhesive bond strength
• Specific applications benefiting from the evaluated materials

Welding Journal Article Scan

Check out this great article and share with us your thoughts in the comments below! 

Hardfacing Wire Manufacturer Polymet Corporation to Attend a Symposium on Thermal Spray Technologies

The Cleveland Chapter of ASM International will be offering a symposium on Thermal Spray Technologies on Wednesday, May 2^nd, 2012.  The event will be held at the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Brook Park, Ohio from 8:00am – 5:00pm.  This one-day technical conference will feature speakers concentrating on industry related issues and topics.

Polymet will be attending the conference discussions as well as exhibiting their business and products.  Bob Unger, sales manager from Polymet, states, “This is a great opportunity to hear from industry experts and learn about current issues in the field.  Thermal spray wire is a big part of our business and we are eager to hear about a number of different topics being presented at the symposium.  We are also excited to have the opportunity to exhibit our products and contributions to the Thermal Spray industry.”

The symposium will kick-off with an introduction from Mr. Mark Smith of Sandia National Labs.  Smith will focus on thermal spray as a versatile tool to enhance performance, cut cost, and create new design possibilities.  Subsequent topics throughout the day include Hard Chrome Replacement, Thermal Spray Guns, Cold Spray Technology, Thermal Spray Feedstock, and Control of Spray Defects.

In addition to the discussions, companies will be allowed to exhibit their contributions to thermal spray and related fields.  Companies are welcome to bring displays and literature to highlight their business, products, capabilities, etc.  The exhibition area will be available during registration, lunch, and breaks.

Arc Spraying of Amorphous Alloys for Wear Resistance

Arc sprayed amorphous alloys have gained widespread use for wear resistance in a variety of applications.  An amorphous alloy has a “glasslike” structure, rather than crystalline.  They are very hard (50-70 HRC) and have an extremely low coefficient of friction.  As a result, they are very effective for sliding and abrasive wear.

Polymet manufactures a number of amorphous materials for our arc spray wire product line.  The wires are cored wires, often called flux cored wires.  They utilize a special powder formulation placed inside of a metal sheath.  These are generally FeCrBSi based alloys such as Vecalloy B, PMET 273, PMET 270 and 296.  They all offer excellent wear and corrosion resistance, when arc sprayed.

The most effective of these alloys has proven to be Vecalloy B.  It has a specially designed formula which includes niobium, resulting in superior wear resistance.  It also has close to double the bond strength of the other alloys, allowing thicker coatings when needed, without spalling or cracking.  The addition of nickel to the alloy gives it better corrosion resistance compared to other amorphous alloys.

Applications where amorphous alloys have proven effective include boiler tubes in coal fired boilers form power generation, dryer rolls in the pulp & paper industry, auger screws for grain and hydraulic shafts.