High-Performance Motorsport Coatings and Metal Finishing

At Hard Anodising Surface Treatments Ltd, we offer specialised metal finishing services and coatings designed to enhance the performance of metals in the challenging environment of motorsport. In the world of motorsport, victory depends on a wide variety of factors. Among these, the role of weight minimisation is undeniably crucial. Reduction of weight can lead to notable improvements in a vehicle’s performance parameters such as acceleration, top-end speed, handling, cornering ability, and deceleration.

Our Specialised Motorsport Coatings

Our motorsport coating services include chromic and sulphuric acid anodising, conversion coatings, and electroless nickel plating. These surface treatments can improve both abrasion and corrosion resistance, effectively increasing the lifetime of components.

Hard Anodising

Hard anodising gives a resilient finish by converting the aluminium at the surface to a form of aluminium oxide. The hardness and abrasion resistance of this finish depend on the choice of aluminium alloy used. Generally, the alloys containing most aluminium yield the best results.

Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless nickel is a plating process that deposits a layer of nickel-phosphorous, nickel-boron or nickel-tin alloy onto the component. This layer’s hardness is not dependent on the substrate, and in general, electroless nickel has a higher hardness than hard anodising. Both electroless nickel and hard anodising have excellent corrosion resistance making them ideal for motorsport coatings.

Achieving Lightweight Materials in Motorsport

Designers striving for weight reduction often substitute conventional materials like steel with lower density alternatives like aluminium, magnesium, and titanium. While these metals, when alloyed, provide the high tensile and fatigue strength required in motorsport applications, they often lack the hardness and abrasion resistance of steel alloys. Furthermore, aluminium and magnesium are highly reactive with oxygen, making them prone to corrosion. The above services can help to overcome these issues.

Demonstrated Experience and Expertise in Motorsport

Our extensive experience and professional expertise in the motorsport sector have led to fruitful collaborations with several leading teams in the fiercely competitive world of F1 and Formula E racing. Serving as their trusted supplier, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to quality, innovation, and excellence, which matches the high expectations of these top-tier motorsport teams.

Our superior hard anodising solutions have consistently delivered exceptional performance, contributing to their successes on the track. Our enduring partnerships stand testament to our capacity to meet and exceed the demands of the most rigorous motorsport applications, affirming our standing as a premier provider of specialist metal finishing services in the industry.

FAQs

What materials do you work with for motorsport applications?

We primarily work with aluminium, but we also treat magnesium alloys and titanium. The aluminium alloys are typically chosen so as to maximise strength, so they are relatively high in magnesium and have >4% copper, such as 2014 aluminium (also popular in aerospace).
We also have experience in designer alloys such as SCALMALLOY(R), which are appearing increasingly in F1.

Why is weight reduction important in motorsport?

Weight reduction is a crucial factor in motorsport since mass is inversely proportional to acceleration. Using lower inertial materials can significantly enhance performance, including acceleration, top-end speed, handling, cornering ability, and deceleration.

How do your services enhance the performance of motorsport vehicles?

We use specialised metal finishing techniques, such as hard anodising and electroless nickel plating, to increase the hardness, abrasion resistance, and corrosion resistance of vehicle components. This improves their durability and lifespan, contributing to overall vehicle performance. We also anodise selectively (using masking), or team up with machinists to anodise part machined components so parts are hard where and only where they need to be.

Are there any metals that can't be treated with electroless nickel plating?

Currently, electroless nickel plating can be problematic on titanium and magnesium. However, we are always innovating our processes and looking for ways to enhance our service offerings.