Renewables

Bodycote’s technologies are supporting the vital growth of the renewables sector through sustainable production, providing treatments that enable lighter, thinner components built to tighter tolerances, using lower emissions processing.

The extended component lifetimes that result from Bodycote’s treatments, requiring fewer replacement parts, less machining, less energy use and waste, contribute to a more sustainable manufacturing process.

Wind

Withstanding high dynamic loads, transmission gearboxes for wind turbines must ensure the highest reliability over an extended period. Their designs have to exhibit fatigue strength and precision, while minimising weight.

Thermal processing of transmission gearboxes improves resistance to fatigue load bending, resistance to surface contact fatigue, adds compressive residual stress to aid in the fatigue loading capabilities, all while maintaining a ductile core.

Fuel cells

Solid Oxygen Fuel Cells (SOFC) convert chemical energy into electrical energy with high efficiency and low pollution. Its small footprint and size requirements make it particularly flexible to address a wide spectrum of electrical needs. The technology depends on internal components that can withstand degradation and deliver a long, reliable service life at a competitive cost.

Bodycote has developed surface technology thermal spray processes that apply high-quality coatings for SOFC electrodes that are competitive over the fuel cell’s service life.

Solar

Stainless steel and high purity copper brazed assemblies are important to the production of solar wafers as they allow a highly complex and detailed process to yield repeatable results in quality, longevity, and production cycles.

Bodycote has developed a specialised hydrogen brazing process that allows the final assembly to sustain rapid heating (> 1000°C) while simultaneously performing a controlled cooling process, resulting in solar panel production with high purity and consistently high quality.

Wave

Next-generation wave energy converters are a valuable renewable energy technology, offering five times more energy per tonne than previously known technologies. Bodycote’s proprietary Corr-I-Dur® treatment is used to protect multiple important converter components against the harshest marine conditions, ensuring corrosion resistance and durability.