OXFORDSHIRE, UK — Advanced surface coating technology company Hardide Coatings has been awarded funding from a UK-wide aerospace initiative to further the application of the company’s coating technology to aircraft components.

The National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) is a £14.4 million program to mature 40 aerospace technologies in the UK aerospace supply chain. Oxfordshire-based Hardide Coatings has been awarded NATEP funding for two projects starting on Sept. 1, 2018, that will each take 18 months to complete.

The first project is to develop a grinding and super-finish technology for the Hardide-A coating that is a proven direct replacement for Hard Chrome Plating (HCP). Hardide Coatings is lead partner supported by Airbus, Perfect Bore Manufacturing Ltd. and Engis (UK) Ltd.

The second project is to develop the processing of an ultra-low-temperature coating that will increase the range of aerospace substrate materials suitable for the Hardide coating process. Airbus and Leonardo Helicopters are end-users and Perfect Bore Manufacturing and Westmoreland Laboratories are support partners in this project to Hardide Coatings.

Philip Kirkham, CEO of Hardide Coatings, commented, “These grant awards were made after a rigorous application process, and we will be working closely on the projects with our end-user customers. Both projects have the potential to expand significantly Hardide Coatings’ aerospace business, widening the range of aircraft components and substrate materials suitable for our coating technology.”

The company’s production facility in Martinsville, Virginia, recently received approval to the new AS 9100 Rev D and ISO 9001:2015 quality management standards. This follows the award of AS 9100 Rev D certification to the UK production site in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in December 2017. The global certifying body Lloyds Register awarded both accreditations.

Aerospace customers include Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Customers in other sectors include leading companies operating in oil and gas exploration and production, valve and pump manufacturing, and precision engineering industries.

Hardide Coatings develops, manufactures and applies advanced tungsten carbide coatings to a wide range of engineering components.