With the launch of the "AlSiCoat" joint project, Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (NMB) is working with two companies and Chemnitz University of Technology to develop aluminum silicon carbide (SiC) powders for highly wear-resistant, environmentally friendly coatings.
The aim is to replace conventional materials such as cobalt and tungsten, the extraction and processing of which are associated with considerable ecological and geopolitical risks. In industries such as agriculture or mechanical engineering, where tools and components are exposed to extreme loads due to friction and corrosion, there is a high demand for durable, sustainable solutions. The Al-SiC composite powders developed in the project should enable a significantly longer service life and higher performance of machine knives compared to conventional coatings and at the same time reduce dependence on critical raw materials. The tasks of the NMB include the development and optimization of the powders with regard to sphericity, flowability and minimum oxygen and hydrogen content - decisive parameters for the quality of the subsequent coatings. Supported by numerical simulations and material analyses, suitable material combinations and process parameters are identified. In addition, the entire process chain is evaluated from a sustainability perspective.
