Progressive is uniquely qualified to provide surface preparation equipment to the heavy and general industrial equipment industries. Progressive Surface has a vast amount of engineering expertise in dealing with the specific requirements of industrial equipment manufacturers. Progressive Surface understands a wide range of hardware requirements from handling very large components to the demands of high volume precision production. Progressive Surface offers a wide range of machine options to best suit the requirements of customers in these varied industries.
Progressive industrial applications
HVOF thermal sprayed chrome replacement on hydraulic cylinders
Shot peening and deburring large diesel engine crankshafts
Automated cylinder head shot peening
100HE® anilox printing roll coating
Copier roll robotic surface prep and plasma spray
Ultra high pressure waterjet stripping to recycle copier rolls
SPS for semi-conductor chamber
100HE® for powder densification
Storage and handling of sheet product
Repair and overhaul of large mining and construction equipment
For years, chrome plating has been utilized in the manufacture of hydraulic components on large earth moving machines. In light of rising environmental concerns with chrome plating, a thermal sprayed coating alternative is now being implemented by many manufacturers. Progressive Surface's HVOF systems have now been installed at several major heavy equipment manufacturers and maintenance and overhaul facilities around the world. Progressive Surface has the engineering expertise to design, build and integrate these complex systems handling these very large hydraulic components. Progressive Surface's controls and software provide a state-of-the-art level of integration and process control.
Progressive has built several multi-axis gantry robotic machines to shot peen and deburr drilled oil holes in large industrial diesel engine crankshafts. Progressive Surface has mastered the process and tooling requirements to incorporate both of these operations in a single machine. In addition Progressive Surface's unique automated tailstock design allows for rapid change over from one part size to the next for optimization of productivity.
Large industrial diesel engines operate at very high compression ratios which strain cylinder heads causing premature failures. Progressive Surface has developed automated equipment to mask, shot peen, clean, and unmask a wide variety of cylinder heads. These custom systems are extremely flexible and productive, setting the industry standard for process control and capability.
Progressive's 100HE high enthalpy thermal spray torch produces the highest quality chrome oxide coatings on anilox rolls. The 100HE applied anilox roll coatings have a very high hardness (>1300 Hv) and very low porosity (1.0%), producing coatings which can be laser engraved at the highest numbers of lines per inch. The coating deposit efficiency produced by the 100HE for these expensive coatings is the highest available at more than 60%.
Progressive Surface designed this high-production system to robotically load copier rolls into an automatic abrasive blast system to prepare for thermal spray coating. The robot then loaded the prepared roll into a thermal spray lathe where a plasma torch was robotically manipulated to precisely coat the roll. This system demonstrates Progressive Surface expertise in systems integration and automated material handling. Several unique process control and automatic measuring devices were also incorporated into this system.
Progressive Surface has designed several unique ultra high pressure water jet systems to remove rubber and ceramic coatings from copier rolls, allowing them to then be recoated and recycled. This system incorporates Progressive Surface's vast water jet stripping process knowledge with its automation expertise to create these very productive systems.
Semiconductor manufacturers continue to reduce the size of chip devices which increases the demands for etching chamber coatings. These coatings protect the etching chambers from being damaged by the harsh etching process. These coatings need to be crack free, dense, and very smooth. Progressive's 100HE®, LiquifeederHE®, and Patented Water Shroud technology create the perfect coating for this application. No other plasma spray torch has been able to match it's unique combination of coating properties and deposit efficiency.
The 100HE's high enthalpy makes it ideally suited for material processing such as densifying powder used in thermal spray or adaptive manufacturing. Progressive has several systems producing dense thermal barrier coatings materials. The 100HE can densify more powder per hour then any of the competing torches.
Metal fabricating facilities looking to increase productivity find benefits from automatic loading and unloading of sheet products from cutting tables, lasers, and turret punch presses. Progressive makes gantry systems, suction cup tooling, stackers, storage towers, and forked off loaders that allow manufacturers to run their equipment at higher utilization and with greater flexibility.
Salvaging structural parts is becoming the norm for those involved in repair and overhaul operations. When these parts need metal surfaces to be rebuilt, thermal spray is often used. By machining away the defective areas, then applying a thermal sprayed metal coating, manufacturers are successfully salvaging otherwise scrapped parts. Progressive specializes in automation for thermal spray. Our approach to robotics and automation has been utilized by many repair and overhaul shops.