Duralar Announces Ultra-Hard, Permanent Dry-Lubricant Coating for Metal Parts: ArmorLube

Duralar Technologies, Tucson-area developer of advanced, ultra-hard metal coatings and coating machines has just introduced their new ArmorLube coating. Providing both dry lubrication and exceptional hardness, the coating is designed to enhance the performance of a range of metal products and parts in firearms, automotive, oil & gas and many other industries.

“ArmorLube coatings are created from a proprietary carbon-based formula,” said Duralar CTO Tom Casserly, PhD. “The carbon provides a natural graphitic lubricity and an extremely low coefficient of friction — less than 0.08. ArmorLube coating is well suited for applications that require a clean, dry, permanent lubrication — without needing oils or greases, which can accumulate dirt and cause fouling.”

Casserly noted that ArmorLube’s dry lubrication can improve product performance in a broad spectrum of applications that involve repetitive metal-on-metal sliding contact. In firearms, for example, ArmorLube can be effectively applied to hammers, bolts, bolt carriers, and many other parts in automatic and semiautomatic rifles. Originally, a Duralar subsidiary developed ArmorLube for the US ARMY to enhance the capability and reliability of soldier weapon systems. However, the coating is also useful for many other applications including critical industrial bearings and other moving parts that cannot risk running out of lubrication.

“In addition to lubricity, ArmorLube also provides extreme hardness, up to 1500 HV, and it is highly wear resistant, so the friction performance lasts,” Casserly added. “Plus, it is highly corrosion resistant and chemically inert — and it is created using eco-friendly processes.”

The company pointed out that ArmorLube can be simultaneously applied to both the inside and outside surfaces of metal parts — using the Duralar™ CS-50 deposition system and its proprietary DualArmor™ process. This bathes metal parts in a dense plasma, so that all surfaces — interior, exterior and complex 3D shapes — are coated with high uniformity and at a very high rate, without the line-of-sight limitations of spray-type coatings. The high deposition speed also enables ArmorLube coatings to be very thick — up to 15µm, if desired — for very high-wear applications.

The Duralar CS-50 deposition system which applies ArmorLube is designed for high throughput in volume-coating environments, with volumes determined by part size. The standard deposition chamber is 60 inches by 10 inches in diameter, and custom configurations can be created to fit the needs of an OEM. The equipment features advanced process control, intuitive operator interface and recipe-driven processes. And by adjusting ArmorLube recipes, the coating can be tailored to specific application requirements.

The Duralar families of advanced, ultra-hard coatings are used to improve performance, increase capabilities and extend the longevity of equipment and products in a broad spectrum of industries — automotive, oil & gas, firearms, aerospace, chemicals, mining, textiles, medical, consumer products and more.