Steel shortages have caused spiralling costs for European manufacturers and according to Edmund Aversenti, steel prices look like they will continue to steadily rise causing manufacturers' bottom lines to fall.

In the current economic climate its difficult for manufacturers to pass increased raw materials costs onto price-sensitive consumers. Steel prices are being driven up by shortages, with one of the major factors being China's huge increase in demand. Not only does China have the world's largest steel industry, it is also the world's largest importer of steel. The country uses millions of tons each month and their demand continues to increase with the sharp growth of the Chinese manufacturing sector.
Aversenti does offer a viable alternative to steel that not only keeps costs down, but can also enable manufacturers to increase the life span of parts: metal enhancing coatings. General Magnaplate has long established licensing agreements with manufacturers across Europe for four of its most popular coatings: Plasmadize, Nedox, Tufram and HCR.
"These coatings can be used by manufacturers to coat low cost metals such as aluminum, so that they have a surface that has all the properties of super alloys such as incoloy and hastaloy, or even tungsten carbide, titanium and stainless steel.
From major home appliance manufacturers to medical equipment manufacturers and defense contractors, many manufacturers are able to lower unit costs by using one of our coatings to toughen up their metal parts, while adding positive side benefits such as dry lubricity and protection against corrosion and chemical attack."
Plasmadize features high levels of wear and corrosion resistance while providing a dry-lubricity and mold release properties. Suitable for use on most metals, Nedox creates a harder-than-steel surface to protect against wear, corrosion and chemical attack.
Tufram, the solution for aluminium and aluminium alloy parts used in manufacturing, processing and packaging equipment, creates a steel-hard, dry-lubricated surface. HCR increases atmospheric corrosion protection beyond all known methods of aluminum treatment while also providing high levels of wear protection.
One significant area that General Magnaplate's customers are seeing cost reductions is in the coating of capital equipment parts.
"Rising steel costs also affect the price of capital equipment, so we advise manufacturers to look at repairing a broken part rather than paying for a brand new one. Advances in coatings technology not only provide the means for the repair of worn equipment as a valid long-term solution, they can also provide immediate cost savings by the elimination of galling and protection against abrasion and erosion."

Enter 50 or at www.engineerlive.com/ede

Edmund Aversenti is Chief Operating Officer, General Magnaplate Corp, USA. www.magnaplate.com