Brazing powder has been a minor product area for Höganäs since the 1980s, but the company is now creating a major product portfolio, it says, following its acquisition of the nickel-based brazing paste business from Innobraze in 2011.
High-temperature brazing has been adopted by component makers in the automotive industry and beyond because of its high strength and resistance to corrosion and oxidation. New environmental regulations could increase demand for brazing using nickel-based or stainless steel filler metals.
“We have expanded our palette of products from the raw material to full project support,” said Michael Rehnig, MD of Höganäs Germany. “What we have developed is a large and unique toolbox including all the application methods and expertise in them, plus the possibility to support the customer with samples. We are capable of running small series or a ramp-up for screen printing, roller coating or dispensing.”
Owe Mårs, manager, alloy development at Höganäs, said: “We are bringing the combined knowledge of powder, paste and application to the market to help our customers set up the most efficient brazing operation."
The company has built a brazing paste production facility next to Höganäs’ existing metal powder plant in Ath, Belgium, which will start shipping paste in Q4 2013. “The facility has been designed to meet future requirements, but already now we have an annual capacity of several hundreds of tonnes of paste,” said Vincent Rasneur, general manager.
