Oerlikon Metco Well Positioned to Meet Global Market Demand for Advanced Ceramics
As the global market for fine ceramics is projected to exceed $75 billion by 2020, Oerlikon Metco strengthened its value proposition to meet customers' needs. The top-performing company now provides more flexible and shorter delivery times, design and production of novel customer-specific products, as well as new product innovations. Key advanced ceramic materials produced by Oerlikon Metco are more readily available as a result of the implementation of excellence initiatives and new developments in manufacturing techniques, such as lean manufacturing and advanced automation of production lines. These improvements generated tighter production controls and a capacity boost of about one hundred tons per year that can be viably delivered to the market.
The improved capacity enables a broader product mix to more customers. Products positively affected include Oerlikon Metco's yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powders produced by the HOSP™ (agglomerated, plasma-densified) manufacturing process, and agglomerated and sintered YSZ materials. These advanced ceramics produce high-performance thermal barrier coatings required for power generation and aero turbine engine components. It's a complete portfolio of standard chemistries, as well as high purity YSZs for higher temperature conditions, all desired for extended coating life.
The HOSP YSZ portfolio is the largest segment of TBC materials available from Oerlikon Metco, which also includes agglomerated and sintered YSZ ceramics. In addition, the company offers a growing number of advanced thermally-protective ceramic compositions for specialized applications; including compositions for Low-K, higher strain tolerance and environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) used to protect ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). By focusing on process efficiencies improvements impacting ceramics, Oerlikon Metco achieved significant productivity objectives. The company optimized their operations in various areas across the business, such as in R&D, production, portfolio strategy and value recovery.
The modernization of manufacturing processes reveals Oerlikon Metco's vision for business growth. "The upgrade investments in multiple production sites and in various business areas facilitate a great deal of flexibility enabling us to meet market demands for the growing product mix." States the Head of Materials Marketing, Dr. Hans Keller. "The improvements also generate a major opportunity for us to develop and produce more advanced TBC ceramics for new engines in addition to the EBC materials that are in high demand." He concludes.
About Oerlikon Metco
Oerlikon Metco enhances surfaces with coating solutions and equipment. Customers benefit from a uniquely broad range of surface technologies, coating solutions, equipment, materials, services, and specialized machining services and components. The innovative solutions improve performance and increase efficiency and reliability. Oerlikon Metco serves industries such as power generation, aviation, automotive, and other specialized markets. The Surface Solutions Segment operates a dynamically growing network of currently over 130 facilities with over 110 coating centers in 35 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, employing around 6 000 people. The Surface Solutions Segment is part of the Switzerland-based Oerlikon Group
