Ventilation systems manufacturer TLT-Turbo GmbH says that has invested in its on-site test lab for research in material testing.
According to the company, the lab focuses on particle impact wear testing to help improve product reliability, quality and performance. According to Patrick Baumgärtner, research and development engineer at the company, the lab will test wear-resistant materials and coatings for fan components by blasting abrasive particles onto the test material, varying the angle and speed of the blasting to observe the resulting wear. ‘We also carry out caking tests in which we select, for example, anti-adhesive layers for our fans, in order to find suitable solutions for customer applications,’ he said. ‘A further main focus is the analysis of process residues that can have an abrasive or corrosive effect.’
The test lab also now offers facilities for metallography, a stereomicroscope, a pycnometer for determining the density of materials and coatings, and an automated solid particle impact wear test bench. According to Sabine Groh, industrial fans product manager at TLT-Turbo, the company has also conducted tests to develop new proprietary coatings. ‘During the manufacturing process, coatings were tested to see the influence of welding heat on coating qualities – such as the development of cracks – to ascertain how to avoid damage caused by heat or weld splashes,’ she said. ‘We conducted research and testing on combining welded coatings and thin layer coating into a hybrid coating which can dramatically increase the operational lifespan of TLT-Turbo fans.’
This story uses material from TLT-Turbo, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
