Access
Login/Register
Supplier Login
The functional requirements for components used in different sectors are increasing all the time. This applies equally to automotive engineering and rail vehicles, wind power, and aerospace applications. The basic material is almost always pushed to the limit of its endurance. The correct use of coatings means that higher requirements can be fulfilled in terms of corrosion and wear protection, the minimization of friction, electrical insulation and, soon, even sensor technology. It is therefore no surprise that coatings are an important design and product element that represents a clear competitive advantage for Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG today.
Schaeffler's Surface Technology Center has developed a modular system that includes around 20 validated coating solutions – down to just a few microns – and thus offers the right solution for every type of requirement. To produce the coating systems, the specialists in the various business units worldwide have a range of procedures at their disposal, including spraying, painting, galvanic and chemical deposition, physical deposition from the gas phase (PVD), and plasma-assisted deposition from the gas phase (PACVD).
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Gutzmer, CTO and Member of the Executive Board of Schaeffler AG, summarizes the significance of surface technology for product development: “For Schaeffler today, coatings are a design and product element that is inextricably linked to our high quality requirements and represents a clear competitive advantage. Coating technology reflects Schaeffler’s three main basic principles –quality, continuous improvement, and consistent innovative thinking. That is why this technology is so well suited to us."
At Schaeffler, automotive engineering is currently the area in which coating technology is most frequently employed, particularly when it comes to valve train components like tappets and pivot elements. The coating reduces the friction that occurs in contact with the camshaft by up to 50 percent and thus also reduces fuel consumption. Electric drives, on which Schaeffler is also working intensively, have completely different requirements when it comes to coatings, however. Ceramic insulating coatings made of aluminum oxide protect the various components from the electric current. The strong currents could otherwise cause the metals to melt, the oil to age extremely quickly and, ultimately, lead to bearing failure.