Accelerated Manufacturing with Chrome Free Sacrificial Cermet Coatings in Aerospace (AMSCA)

European legislation (REACh regulations) requires the elimination of hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+), which is carcinogenic, by September 2017. Existing sacrificial coatings, used for corrosion protection in aerospace, all contain Cr6+ and, therefore, must be replaced. Currently available alternatives do not give acceptable performance, so new replacement materials are needed. A complete supply chain consortium, plus academic and CATAPULT support, has been brought together to address this issue. This project aims to formulate a new sacrificial coating for corrosion protection of steel aero-engine components that is free from hexavalent chromium and demonstrate the technology to TRL5. In addition, improved, cost-effective application methodology will be developed, incorporating automation where appropriate, to increase manufacturing rate and capacity and reduce waste. Furthermore, in a field traditionally developed on an empirical basis, this project aims to provide an improved science based understanding of the coating behaviour, which will underpin the innovative sacrificial coating technology being developed.