When it comes to planting, growers know that speed counts. But this isn't just about going faster up and down rows. This is about going faster than the speed of sound.
In Washington state, not far from Spokane, sits the headquarters of Extreme Industrial Coating, an organization that has harnessed the impressive power used to coat a B-1 bomber engine and applied it to potato planters. The result? Vacuum valves that have gone four seasons without a scratch.
This is due to Hyper-Velocity Oxyfuel, or HVO. This, according to the company website, creates velocities wherein "powder impact fuses to steel or aluminum with bond strengths in excess of 10,000 pounds per square inch, and the coating provides 50 times more abrasion resistance than mild steel."
But the application is for more than valves. The technique can be applied on fans, pulleys and belt rollers. Add to the list combine wear panels and concaves, augers, seed processing fans and wear panels and shaft seal surfaces.
The convergence of this powerful coating process and the company's work is traced to Extreme Industrial Coating wear control engineer and owner Jon Osborne. He teamed experience in the ag industry with a knowledge of aerospace and mining technology.
Among Extreme Industrial Coating's offerings is RocketCoat, "thin coatings of tungsten carbide for extreme abrasion, erosion and corrosion," according to the company. There is also Electric ArcSpray, which uses materials such as metallic glass to create resistance and restoration. PlasmaPlate, Complex Carbide Wear Plate, Flame Spray and BoroPlate and BoroSpray are also available.
"A lot of the parts we coat ... will never wear out again," Osborne says. He also explains that there is a "cross feeding" between the lessons learned in the industrial industry and what is learned in the agricultural industry. Basically, knowledge in one realm can impact performance in another.
The company, which is located in Airway Heights, Wash., has been in business for about five years. Osborne says that the coating is important for growers in the state because the sandy soil is hard on equipment parts. He also sees that the business could expand and is looking to southern Idaho.
Osborne may be contacted at 509-991-1773. Visit www.extremecoatings.com.