Sep 17 2013
Technogenia, a specialist manufacturer of highly resistant anti-wear coatings based on tungsten carbide, is opening two new Lasercarb® hardfacing centers in Canada, as the French company's global expansion continues apace. The centers feature the firm's unique Lasercarb® laser cladding technology.
Technogenia opened its new Lasercarb® center in Edmonton, Alberta, in June 2013. Named Technogenia Western Canada, the center is a joint venture with an individual Canadian partner, and has been opened to meet demand for Technogenia's products from the oil and gas sector in western Canada, which is largely being driven by the extensive oil sands in the north west of the country.
The second Lasercarb® center in Canada is to be opened by the end of 2013, in Guelph, near Toronto, Ontario. This center is to be called Technogenia Lasercarb® Canada, and will be a subsidiary of Technogenia. While this center will also meet demand from the oil and gas sector, it will be designed primarily to serve customers in the mining sector, as well as agriculture businesses and power stations.
These two new hardfacing centers are opening with one Lasercarb® machine each, and are likely to install additional machines over the coming years. The two centers will significantly extend Technogenia's presence in North America. The company already has eight Lasercarb® machines installed at its centers in the US, with five machines at Technogenia's subsidiary in Houston, Texas, which was opened in 2007, and three at its subsidiary in Oklahoma, which was opened in 2010. The main market for the US Lasercarb® centers is the oil and gas sector.
In addition, there are three Lasercarb® machines at Technogenia's UK Lasercarb® center, which is based at Technogenia's UK partner Laser Cladding Technology, near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and was opened in 2003. Technogenia's first Lasercarb® center was opened at Technogenia's headquarters in Saint-Jorioz, in south eastern France in 1993. It has one machine, with a second likely to be added soon.
Technogenia is planning on opening more Lasercarb® hardfacing centers in the US, as well as in Asia, the Middle East and Russia, as demand grows across the world for its products.
Hervé Maybon, Sales and Strategy Manager at Technogenia, says: "The main idea behind the Lasercarb® centers is to be close to our customers, and provide them with a local service."
He adds that the Lasercarb® centers provide a full service to customers. "As well as new components, we can also treat parts which need to be repaired - we give them a second life. We also provide customer planning services."
Lasercarb® is a trademark of Technogenia, and the company's Lasercarb® centers treat a range of components from a variety of customers using Technogenia's unique Lasercarb® laser cladding technology, which uses the heat from a laser to melt tungsten carbide applied in powder form, resulting in excellent adhesion and an exceptionally hard deposit.
Using this process, both external and internal surfaces can be built up, including the interior of tubes with a diameter of 50 mm or more.
"This technology is extremely well suited to components used for the radial bearings of downhole drilling motors," explains Maybon. "In addition, the fact that it can be used for internal as well as external coatings opens up various possibilities, not only in the drilling sector but also in other industries, such as ceramics, food processing and tunnel boring."
Press release avilable from http://www.prnewswire.com/