Home > Our processes

Our processes

APS Coatings offers you different application processes using different production methods. Discover below in detail the diversity of APS processes.

Our expertise: dry processes

APS is recognized for the variety of its production methods and its expertise in applying the thinnest to the thickest coatings on all types of parts. With a bank of references and studies rich from 50 years of experience, our know-how covers many application processes explained below.

Surface preparation
Metals and ceramics applications
Polymer application
Quality control

Polymer application

The processes in detail

Liquid spray coating allows many variations in thickness, savings zones, and nuances of textures or effects. APS has a new line in Aquitaine allowing the production of parts in large series, offering a significant economic advantage.
  • Deposited thicknesses from 2 to 80 µm
  • Application temperature: between 170 and 400°C depending on the coating
The main advantage of these processes is the absence of solvent, thus offering economic, environmental and work safety benefits.
  • Deposited thicknesses from 80 to 300 µm
  • Application temperature: between 200 and 350°C depending on the coating
This method consists in carrying out a coating by dipping allowing the complete application of a particularly resistant thick coating on parts of complex shapes.
  • Thickness to be deposited: from 200 to 500 microns
  • Application temperature: from 250 to 400°C
This process, particularly used in the automotive and electromechanical industry, allows the production of thin multifunctional coatings by stacking layers of different materials.
  • Polymerization at low temperature: below 250°C
  • Over 100 coatings available
  • Rates of up to 2 tons of coated parts per hour
Our process is a deported CVD type deposition that allows us to treat all types of parts, especially those that are thermally fragile because, throughout the process, they will remain at a temperature close to ambient.
  • Precisely configurable thickness: from 500 nm to 100 microns
  • Application temperature: below 40°C

Metals and ceramics applications

The processes in detail

This process is mainly intended for the supersonic spraying of tungsten and chromium carbides, stellites, metals and their alloys. The high speed of the particles, the uniform heating and the short residence time in the flame generate the formation of a coating with great adhesion and high density.
  • Heat source: fuel oil (liquid) and oxygen
  • Materials: metal powder and metal carbides
  • Flame temperature: 2,800°C (approx.)
  • Particle speed: 400 – 800 m/s
  • Deposition rate: 4-12 kg/h
This technique is based on the creation of an electric arc in a plasma gas (argon, hydrogen, helium and/or nitrogen) which makes it possible to spray all metallic materials and their alloys, carbides, ceramics and abradables. This technology is optimal for ceramics and abradables. Depending on the gas mixture used, the properties of the plasma vary, which allows to modify the thermal properties or the speed of the particles.
  • Sprayed materials: powder – ceramics, abradables, metals and their alloys
  • Maximum arc temperature: 16000°C
  • Particle speed: 200 – 400 m/s
  • Deposition rate: 1.8-6 kg/h
Flame spray uses the combustion of a mixture of oxygen and gas to spray the material onto the part to be coated in the form of powder or wire. It is mainly used for certain abradable coatings or metallic coatings and their alloys.
  • Autogenous flame at 2900°C
  • Particle speed: 50m/s
  • Deposition rate: 1 to 20 kg/h
Electric arc spraying is a hot spraying method ensuring the coating of metallic or non-metallic parts with a solid filler material in the form of wire. It is the most economical among all the thermal spraying techniques for metals and their alloys with high deposition rates.
  • Arc voltages between 25 and 40 V
  • Intensities ranging from 100 to 500 A
  • Particle speed: ±150m/s
  • Arc temperature: 4000°C/6000°C
  • High deposit speed: 8-20kg/h

Our surface preparations

The processes in detail

Degreasing

In order to eliminate traces of grease, we can dissolve them using a solvent, transform them into water-soluble soaps or peel them off by forming a surfactant emulsion.

Sandblasting

Sandblasting makes it possible to perfectly strip, renovate, deoxidize and prepare surfaces for subsequent coatings. At APS, we have mobile sandblasting and micro-sandblasting units.

Shot blasting

We use micro-bead blasting to improve the surface appearance (similar to sandblasting) or to pre-stress to improve the technical qualities of blasted surfaces.

Phosphatation

Pickling a steel surface by phosphating provides passivation and improves the corrosion resistance of paint coatings.

Masking

Today, we use several techniques to mask certain areas of a part: high performance adhesive tapes, metal or elastomer tools. Tomorrow, our Robocoat system will allow us to reduce or avoid this step.

Our means of control

The processes in detail

Each workshop has an integrated quality control where the thicknesses and adhesion are measured by sampling or by unit depending on the type of parts. A visual check is also carried out systematically.

An analysis laboratory is also available to carry out destructive tests on samples in order to verify that the metallographic characteristics meet customer’s specifications.