Gunmen hot stuff on rusting

A Black Country engineering firm which produces groundbreaking thermal spray guns used across the globe, has been short listed for a prestigious innovation award.

Metallisation, of Pear Tree Lane, Dudley, founded in 1922, makes thermal spray equipment to tackle structural steelwork corrosion.

The firm – which employs 28 staff and exports more than two-thirds of its products overseas – is constantly developing new equipment to stay ahead of the market.

About 5,000 units produced by Metallisation are in use around the world at any one time, particularly in countries with extreme weather conditions.

Typical uses for products include spraying protective coatings for turbines and structural steelwork, such as bridges, which prevent corrosion and significantly increase the lifespan of materials, including ships propellors and cookware.

Working with Aston University, the firm developed a pioneering spray gun known as the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel system, the Met Jet 4.

The system sprays materials through the combustion of oxygen and kerosene in a chamber which produces a high speed stream of hot gas at about two kilometres per second into which coating material in powder form is introduced. This stream of fast-moving powder produces a coating well suited to extreme applications.

Metallisation has now been shortlisted for the Impact through Innovation Award at the Lord Stafford Awards at the NEC on November 15.

Metallisation managing and technical director, Dr Terry Lester, said that a challenge for their system was that the quality of kerosene varies around the world.

Linking with Aston University through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership the firm secured the services of engineering graduate Ben Hawkins to develop alternative fuels.

"Ultimately this has led to the production of a gun that offers substantial technological, quality and commercial benefits to both Metallisation and our customers," said Dr Lester.