Eatonite receives certification

In 2009, Eatonite Laser Clad coating technology was certified by independent test services company DNV after fulfilling requirements in the “Guideline for qualification of wear and corrosion protection surface materials for piston rods,” developed as part of a Joint Industry Project (JIP). Eaton was the first cylinder manufacturing company that passed the JIP test requirements.

Piston rod samples made of SAE 4130 steel coated with Eatonite were tested at DNV laboratories in Høvik, Norway, and Columbus, Ohio, for a wide range of physical, mechanical and electrochemical properties to evaluate the performance of the coating against the JIP standard. After proprietary processing, the Eatonite material is twice as hard as conventional Inconel 625, a well-known corrosion resistant alloy (CRA), but also has good cladding homogeneity due to the novel laser technology developed to deposit the material. As confirmed by the DNV certification testing, Eatonite-clad rods deliver the mechanical performance of traditional SAE 4130 steel piston rods, along with the corrosion resistance expected for CRA materials like Inconel 625. 

DNV-certified Eatonite laser coating technology is a significant breakthrough for the upstream oil and gas industry, where Eatonite laser coating technology extends the life of piston rods used in hydraulic riser tensioning systems on offshore platforms. It also provides a solution in hydropower and virtually anywhere else piston rods are exposed to severe environmental corrosion.