ADVANCED MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS Caterpillar Incorporated New Coating Technology for Stronger, Longer Lasting Wear Parts

In the heavy manufacturing industry, strength, resilience, and reliability are vital characteristics in products. In the early 1990s, Caterpillar developed a research plan to apply functionally gradient material (FGM) coatings onto wear parts in a cost-effective manner so that the coated parts would last several times longer than parts currently available. By spraying a series of coatings designed for high adherence and wear and corrosion resistance onto common, low-cost steel substrates, one could affordably achieve durability and strength. The expected result would represent a breakthrough advancement for part strength, resilience, and reliability—an advance that would otherwise have taken the market more than 10 years to achieve incrementally. Although the potential of the proposed technology impressed Caterpillar engineers, cost pressure in the market would prevent the company from fully capturing the economic benefits of its proposed innovation.