Protect Your Bottom Line With High Performance Coatings

By BRETT WINBERG

When something comes along that is so unique, and yet not widely known in our industry, we do our best to alert LubeTalk subscribers to the potential savings.

As I enter the industrial park where our offices are located, I always wanted to learn more about the large building across the street. A large sign that says “HPC” is prominently displayed out front, however, I never put two and two together until recently. HPC stands for “High Performance Coatings”, and I do mean high performance!

In 1982 HPC revolutionized the exhaust industry by introducing space-age coatings to the motor sports aftermarket. Using coatings that were previously only available to the aerospace industry, HPC created a niche market for protective and thermal barrier coating in racing and street rodding. In the eighteen years since, HPC has developed numerous coatings for a wide range of applications. HPC provides protective, lubritic and appearance coatings for the motor sports, industrial, food processing, medical, aerospace and OEM automotive and trucking industries. HPC is recognized as a leader and innovator of coating technology in these fields.

Imagine a coating on the top of your engine’s piston that reduces heat during combustion. Imagine the same coating on the stems of your intake and exhaust valves that protect against heat also. Probably no part of an engine undergoes greater thermal shock than pistons and valves. Yet this has no effect on the bonding properties of HPC's TBC (thermal barrier coating), which has the same coefficient of expansion as aluminum. Particulates are bonded with an inorganic binder which is unaffected by petroleum products. 

With bond strength of 10,000 psi, this coating's non-porous ceramic matrix improves flame travel and combustion efficiency as well as reduces oil temperature and prevents carbon buildup. This has everything to do with oil analysis since these properties will show up in a sample report through decreased oxidation and soot levels. This is great news for large fleet operators as well.

Below are two pictures of Turbo Inlet pipes that have been run on a Diesel Pickup Truck for a period of time. Look at the difference of protection when using HPC coatings.

 
            non treated                   Treated with HPC Coating

HPC also has coating for many other parts of the engine that may be of interest to the racing enthusiast and also trucking companies, construction companies, railroads and more. HPC’s unique coatings have been specifically engineered for many environments.  Some coatings protect against corrosion, thermal fatigue, and oxidation. Others reduce heat transfer, while some rapidly dissipate heat.

HPC’s Solid Dry Film coatings ("S series") reduce the coefficient of friction and provide excellent release properties.  Others retain or shed chemical or petroleum products. For those applications where you want a coating that sheds oil and other petroleum liquids, rather than retaining it, HPC has developed the solid dry film coating. This process works well in eliminating exfoliation/corrosion and oxidation on zinc, aluminum, and magnesium. This coating can be applied directly over more conventional pretreatments such as anodizing, phosphating, and electroplating.  It is a black-pigmented coating with temperature stabilities from -100° F (-79° C) to +700° F (371° C). 

Industrial applications, aerospace and more can utilize the performance of HPC Coatings. Applications which require a significant surface temperature reduction as a result of high temperature heat soak will benefit from HPC’s E-Series coatings. Designed to operate in temperatures up to 2500° F. this process will protect the substrate from thermal fatigue and oxidation as well as oxidation scaling while reducing skin temperatures by as much as 56%! HPC's E-Series coating is also FAA approved. E-Series coatings can be applied to most alloys and are available in black or gray due to color stability over 2000° F (1093° C).

This is just a sampling of what these specialized coatings can do for you, to learn more about what HPC can do for you, visit their website at: www.hpcoatings.com

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