Hardness coatings and treatments

Greater hardness, better wear resistance

The hardness of a metal or ceramic surface indicates its resistance to abrasion and to the wear and tear of the surface itself. The hardness can be increased, even extensively, using thermal spraying or spray metallizing, nickel plating or electro-oxidation, which considerably improves the resistance and service life of the products, especially in the presence of abrasive materials.

Coatings and wear-resistant treatments that lend hardness can also be applied as a base for further coatings, thus letting materials slide better and giving the product better abrasion resistance.

Through years of research, Argos has developed coatings and treatments to increase hardness. Precise coating techniques can now satisfy every type of need.

Microhardness: electroless nickel plating

Electroless nickel plating guarantees a basic hardness of about 550/600 HV, which, along with heat treatments, can be increased to obtain a microhardness of 1200/1300 HV, as with the ENP SH coating. Electroless nickel plating is your ideal choice, especially in sectors such as the oil & gas, food, chemical/pharmaceutical, and mechanical industries.

Hard anodizing

Hard anodizing, or thick electro-oxidation, is designed precisely to enhance the properties of the base material, thus providing greater surface hardness and excellent corrosion protection, as well as low friction, wear resistance and resistance to high temperatures. The elevated surface hardness and compactness of hard coating are due to the oxide layer generated during the treatment. Moreover, with its excellent corrosion protection, hard anodizing is particularly valued in the automotive, mechanical, aeronautics and food sectors.

PlasmaCoat®

PlasmaCoat® is a coating based on thermal spraying that combines hardness and abrasion resistance with the excellent sliding and non-stick properties typical of polymers.

In general, Argos hardness treatments are widely used in the textile and printing sector, automotive industry, packaging market and food industry.