In industry, components are being put to increasingly severe tests. Friction, impact, corrosion, and extreme temperatures affect parts and shorten their service life. Extending that service life is therefore crucial—both economically and ecologically. Plasmajet Advanced Coatings in Lummens has been playing a leading role in this since 1968. They extend the service life of parts, improve performance, and thus reduce the total cost of ownership for their customers.
Strengths and expertise
With more than half a century of experience, Plasmajet has become an established name in the Belgian metal and manufacturing industry. Whereas many competitors focus on a single coating technique, Plasmajet stands out thanks to its wide range of solutions. “We are not married to a single technique,” says Filip Maesen, manager of Plasmajet. “Many companies apply a single process to everything. That’s not how the coating world works. Every wear problem requires a specific approach—and we have the knowledge and technology to tailor it perfectly.”
APPLICATIONS
Plasmajet’s solutions are used in a wide range of sectors, from mechanical engineering and metalworking to chemicals and food. Each project starts with a technical analysis of the wear or corrosion problem. Based on this, the team selects the most suitable coating, hardfacing, or surface treatment. Plasmajet focuses on two main areas: repairing worn parts and making new components more durable for OEM applications.
Repair of worn components
Worn parts get a second life at Plasmajet. Thanks to advanced coating techniques, we repair worn areas with a new, wear-resistant layer that replaces the original material and offers extra durability. The result: a component that is not only repaired, but often performs better than the original. This allows us to extend the operational life and minimize unplanned downtime, contributing to lower maintenance and replacement costs.
Thermal spraying
Techniques such as plasma coating, HVOF, and flame spraying apply wear- or corrosion-resistant coatings using a stream of molten or heated particles. Because these processes take place at relatively low temperatures (50–200 °C), there is no risk of deformation. This makes them ideal for sensitive or thin-walled components.
Techniques such as HVOF apply wear- or corrosion-resistant coatings using a stream of molten
or heated particles.
Lasercladding and hardfacing
For components exposed to extreme mechanical stress, Plasmajet also offers hot processes such as laser cladding, PTA, oxyfuel welding, or Spray & Fuse. In these processes, the wear-resistant layer is fused with the base material, creating a metallurgical bond and excellent adhesion. “Laser cladding has become increasingly important in recent years,” says Maesen. “The coating fuses completely with the substrate and forms an extremely strong layer—ideal for impact zones or heavily loaded surfaces.”
Laser cladding has become increasingly important at Plasmajet in recent years.
Chemical surface treatments
For components in aggressive or corrosive environments—for example, in the food industry or in hydraulic systems—Plasmajet applies chemical and electrolytic processes, including hard chrome plating and nickel plating. These treatments improve resistance to chemical corrosion and contribute to a longer service life for components.
OEM Market: More wear-resistant from the design stage
In addition to repairs, Plasmajet also supplies new parts to machine builders and OEM customers. The focus here is on wear parts that need to be replaced regularly. “We redesign and manufacture these parts in such a way that they become more wear-resistant,” explains Maesen. “We keep spare parts in stock for our customers, so that they don’t have to maintain large stocks and can still have quick access to replacement parts.” Thanks to its wide range of techniques, Plasmajet can optimize each part for its specific application. This versatility is unique in the market and constitutes an important competitive advantage.
Here, a hard, wear-resistant layer was applied to the axle by means of hard plating.
Future-oriented craftsmanship
Plasmajet has a fully equipped machine park for both pre-processing and post-processing. Its expertise lies mainly in cylindrical and surface grinding, with a dozen specialized grinding machines, but turning, milling, and honing are also carried out in-house. The company can machine parts up to 6 meters long, 2 meters in diameter, and weighing 10 tons with high precision. Thanks to this capacity, Plasmajet can repair or improve even the most complex and heavy industrial components—without the intervention of external partners. All work, including assembly and disassembly, is carried out in its own workshop. When overhauling rollers or hydraulic cylinders, for example, bearings, seals, and other wear parts are also replaced. Plasmajet thus offers a complete service from diagnosis to finished product.
