Hardfacing

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admin

May 20, 2026

On August 27, 2021

Plasma Transfer Arc Welding (PTAW) technology is an evolutionary development of the more widely used Gas Shielded Tungsten Arc Welding (GSAW) process.

PTAW uses a constrictor nose to utilise and concentrate very high levels of energy and uses various gas control methods to limit the arc, making it very effective for specific welding situations.

The Plasma Transfer Arc (PTA) process uses plasma principles and as such it can be considered an evolutionary development of the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process, where the high concentration of energy is due to the diameter of the arc built up between the tungsten electrode and the workpiece using a constrictor nose that restricts the columns in an inert gas atmosphere (usually argon).

The feed is carried to the plasma jet by a gas stream, which may be an inert gas, a reactive gas, or a mixture of reactive and inert gases. A third gas stream is used to protect the metal pool from atmospheric contamination. Although mixtures of reactive and inert gases can be used, argon is typically used in all three-gas systems.

Waste To Energy

● Hard Surface Finishes: PTAW is well suited for the application of cemented carbides to improve wear resistance Stellite, Colmonoy, Hastelloy and Tungsten Carbide can all be successfully applied to PTAW.● Corrosion Resistant Overlay: The localised heat input properties of PTAW allow for the application of corrosion resistant alloys with minimal dilution into the base material.PTAW can achieve subsea chemistry requirements of <5% Fe in overlay thicknesses as low as 0.040’.

Industries/Components:

- Non-magnetic downhole tools: drill collars, MWD wear strips, etc.
- Downhole components: mud motor bearings, stabilisers, piston restrictors, drill bits, etc.
- Flow control: valve bores, gates, seats, seat slots, ring slots, stems, etc.
- Power generation: turbine blades, shafts, bearing surfaces, etc.
- Riser equipment pins, boxes, etc.