(October 17, 2024) An innovative technology aimed at addressing the challenge of wear in critical industrial equipment—the low-friction, ultra-wear-resistant nanodiamond coating material—has recently achieved successful engineering demonstration applications. As of mid-October, this material has been stably operating for over nine months on the bearing components of the particle vibrating screen in a large-scale, high-density polyethylene plant, successfully extending the vibrating screen’s service life by more than three times. This milestone marks a significant breakthrough for China in the field of advanced protective coating technologies.
The ultra-wear-resistant nanodiamond coating is a new product resulting from the application of nanoscience and nanotechnology to hard coatings, and it has also become one of the key development directions in advanced protective coating technologies in recent years. This high-performance coating can form a robust protective barrier on the surface of equipment, thereby significantly extending the service life of the equipment under harsh operating conditions.
The vibrating screen for polyethylene granules with full density is a critical piece of equipment in the refining and petrochemical extrusion unit, and its operational stability directly affects production efficiency. However, under multi-media operating conditions, the sliding-end bearings of the vibrating screen are highly susceptible to wear, which significantly shortens their service life. This not only increases enterprises' production costs but also poses a threat to the continuity of production. Currently, most such critical equipment relies on imports, and the maintenance costs for spare parts are extremely high.
To effectively address this challenge, since 2022, a domestic research team—supported by relevant basic research and strategic reserve technology funding programs—has independently designed and mastered several key core technologies. The R&D team has successfully developed an ultra-wear-resistant nanodiamond coating material characterized by high hardness, strong adhesion, and a low coefficient of friction, thereby filling a technological gap in this field within China.
Since the beginning of this year, the research team has been working closely with manufacturing enterprises to conduct engineering application verification of this new high-performance product, based on rigorous testing and thorough preparation. Application data show that the coating exhibits outstanding wear resistance in actual operation, yielding significant economic and social benefits. The successful application of this technology not only provides new technical support for the safe, efficient, and long-term operation of domestic refining and chemical plants but also demonstrates the broad application prospects of nanodiamond coating technology in industrial maintenance and equipment upgrades.