History of Innovation
| Background of Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc. Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the ever-expanding world of wear-and-corrosion-resistant coatings. Just about every industry you can imagine - aircraft, steel, plastic, printing, petroleum, textiles, electronics, and even the food industry - has a need for our services. | |||||||||
We've come a long way from our humble beginnings in the 1940's, when research into acetylene detonations touched upon the coatings process that remains a major part of Praxair Surface Technologies' business today. In 1998, ASM International designated Speedway Laboratories of Praxair Surface Technologies as an historical landmark. It was here that the first useful application of the detonation-gun process was developed for plating metal and ceramic coatings on metal components. Our scientists and engineers conducted investigations into acetylene detonations to find safer methods of handling and shipping gas. These studies proved that the destructive force of these acetylene detonations could be harnessed to develop an improved process to apply quality, hard-surface coatings. The aircraft industry took advantage of the new coating process first by coating their engines' compressor fan blades with Praxair’s .008-to-.010-inch-thick, tungsten-carbide coating. This application allowed jet engines to log thousands of hours before needing a full-blade replacement, and provided the momentum to launch Praxair’s Coatings Service business. Later in the 1950's, our scientists in Tonawanda, New York invented the plasma-spray process. Unlike the Detonation Gun™ coating process that relies on combustion, the plasma coatings torch utilizes an internal or non-transferred electrical arc. At 30,000˚F, it produces and controls a high-velocity, inert gas stream that is known as plasma, the fourth state of matter. Introduced into the arc in powdered form, coating particles instantly melt and accelerate toward the work piece, forming a high-density, well-bonded coating upon impact. The D-Gun and plasma spray process became the foundation from which our business grew into a worldwide corporation. We have been supplying thermal spray coatings and powders since the mid-1950’s and invented the following coating processes:
In July 1992, we became an independent company. Our parent company chose a new name, Praxair, Inc. It reflects the primary focus on our worldwide business by combining the Greek work "praxis", meaning practical application, and "air" which was and continues to be our parent company's principle area of expertise. Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America and the second-largest worldwide. The Coatings Service name was replaced with Praxair Surface Technologies to more closely align us with our parent and to better describe our complete capability. Today, Praxair Surface Technologies has a global network of over 40 production facilities providing a wide range of surface-enhancement products and services. Although the application of custom, wear-resistant coatings to customer parts remains the core of our business, over the years, we have extended our expertise into additional areas of surface-enhancement technologies. In addition to applying coatings to customer components, we completely manufacture parts, such as Praxair laser-engraved, ceramic anilox rolls used for ink application in printing. A complete, specialty-powders business manufactures thermal-spray and fine-polishing powders distributed around the world. Our vision is to be the best-performing surface technologies business in the world, as determined by our customers, associates, shareholders, and the communities in which we operate. | |||||||||
