Oerlikon deepens partnership with Airbus: Oerlikon Balzers receives Qualified Supplier status for BALINIT C coatings on copper alloys

Oerlikon Balzers, a leading provider of surface solutions, has received Qualified Supplier status from Airbus for its two customer centres in Great Britain and France for copper alloy substrate coatings using BALINIT C. Both locations are already certified as qualified suppliers of the coating on steel, titanium and Inconel substrates.

BALINIT C is a coating applied to aerospace components made of steel, titanium and various alloys that helps reduce surface fatigue, withstand wear, and high loads, whilst being lightweight and exhibiting low-friction. The technical qualification of BALINIT C, as a non-hazardous and REACH-conforming option to hard chrome plating, completes the Airbus Industrial Qualification Process for both Oerlikon Balzers customer centres in Great Britain and France.

"We are very pleased that Airbus has confirmed that our coatings meet the Airbus technical and industrial requirements associated with BALINIT C," said Marc Desrayaud, Head of Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions. "We value the trust that Airbus has placed in us, and we are committed to providing them with cutting-edge coating services for decades to come. Achieving a further Qualified Supplier status from Airbus underlines our dedication to our customers and our position as an innovation driver for surface solutions in the aerospace industry."

Oerlikon Balzers' customers centres Milton Keynes (Great Britain), Ferriere-en-Brie (France), Guelph (Canada) and Niedercorn (Luxembourg) are all Nadcap-accredited and provide world-class coating solutions and services to the aerospace industry. Nadcap, National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program, is a worldwide industry-controlled global cooperation program, designed to achieve a cost-effective consensus approach to special processes and products and to provide continuous improvement within the aerospace industry.

BALINIT C is a WC/C-based (Tungsten Carbide/Carbon) coating that is a mixture of metal and diamond-like carbon. The result is the ideal way to reduce surface fatigue and tribo-oxidation on many aerospace components. Tribological coatings are mainly used to reduce adhesive wear, associated, for instance, with seizing or cold-welding. A low friction coefficient and good sliding properties make them ideal for low lubrication and even dry running applications.