Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating – ThermoHold®
ThermoHold® is Zircotec’s proprietary ceramic coating technology that is only available from Zircotec, delivering the ultimate solution in thermal barrier performance.
Our ThermoHold® ceramic coating technology is deposited in the form of powder, varying powder compositions depending on applications. Whereby the ceramic particles are melted and propelled towards the substrate via plasma-flame, with the plasma flame temperatures reaching up to approx. 10,000°C. Whereby the ceramic reaches a molten state, droplets flatten and they rapidly solidify to form a deposit that remains adherent to the substrate as coatings. This process has been refined by Zircotec since its first use of the technology in the 70s within the Nuclear Industry. Through extensive R&D with our Automotive OEM & Motorsport partners, we have developed our own proprietary spray parameters for application characteristics such as feed rate, gas composition, powder composition, flow rate, etc. These parameters are adapted for various specifications and applications, offering the best solutions for different needs.
Our ThermoHold® technology is suitable to be used on several substrate materials including, metallic surfaces such as cast iron, steel alloys, aluminium and titanium, it is also applicable to composite materials including carbon-fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) and high-temperature plastics. One of the top benefits of our ThermoHold® technology is that it helps with heat transfer reduction significantly, protecting the component itself from thermal cycles as well as components near heat source. When utilised in the automotive industry by OEMs and our elite motorsport partners, it has been proved to improve car performance. Depending on application, it can reduce exhaust surface temperatures by up to 33% as well as retaining heat within the exhaust, aiding the gas flow rate within. With the mentioned performance benefits, our ThermoHold® technology is only 0.3mm in thickness with minimal weight gain. Its lightweight properties and thickness makes it ideal for applications in the automotive industry, keeping the vehicle light in weight as well as applying thermal management solutions where the space envelop only gets tighter.
With the goal of reducing weight while retaining performance, the automotive industry is always evolving. Composite materials, in particular carbon fibre composites are becoming more prevalent. However, one of its biggest draw-backs compared to conventional metallic alloys is their ability to withstand heat. CFRPs are typically rated to short term exposure of 150°C, beyond which, aesthetic and structural damage may occur affecting performance and safety. Our ThermoHold® For Composites technology has been developed specifically to bond to composite surfaces and is highly resistant to mechanical stresses including vibration and the flexing of the composite. With the thermal properties provided by ThermoHold® as described above, it can also protect the composite surface against from structural damage from radiant and convection heat transfer.
Contact us to find out more details and benefits of our ThermoHold® ceramic coating technology and how it can also be applied to composite surfaces.