Press Releases
Independent testing confirms CermaClad™ CRA lowers corrosion rate by 6 times and exceeds API-5LD Clad Pipe Requirements
December 05, 2011
MIAMI, FLORIDA -- Abakan Inc. (OTCQB "ABKI") ("Abakan") is pleased to announce that its subsidiary MesoCoat Inc.’s CermaClad™ metallurgically bonded corrosion resistant alloy (“CRA”) clad products met or exceeded API-5LD during independent verification testing. The American Petroleum Institute (API), the leading standardization organization, requires that API-5LD suitability specifications be met for clad pipe corrosion resistance in order for it to be used in conveying of gas, water, and oil.
Andrew Sherman, CEO, MesoCoat Inc. stated, “We are excited that CermaClad™ has now been independently validated as a product that has not only passed all the required testing but has also proven to be a vastly superior product to existing solutions in the areas of corrosion, metallurgical bonding, and dilution.”
Det Norske Veritas (“DNV”), one of largest global risk management and testing labs, conducted the API-5LD testing on CermaClad™ in their Columbus, Ohio lab with the following significant results:
- ASTM G28 tests indicated a corrosion rate 85% lower than that of the widely used weld overlay technology.
- Bond strength exceeded the API-5LD standard by 50%.
- ASTM A264 test for mechanical integrity passed all requirements of API-5LD.
- EDAX analysis for composition & metallurgy has shown little to no iron contamination (dilution) beyond 0.1mm from base metal. This is a 400x improvement over competing weld overlay where there is significant contamination as far as 4mm from the base metal.
The tests were conducted on an X65 carbon steel substrate that was clad with a 3mm thick layer of Alloy 625 using our CermaClad™ technology.
Robert Miller, CEO, Abakan Inc. commented, “MesoCoat’s CermaClad™ technology is proving to be a disruptive technology that doesn’t just provide incremental improvement. It has the potential of creating a paradigm shift in the industry. We have been engaged in numerous conversations with Oil & Gas majors as well as pipe manufacturers who are clearly on the lookout for alternatives to the slow and arduous weld overlay technology. They also complain of the issues of mechanically lined pipes that lead to severe buckling, rippling and installation issues. CermaClad™ (which can produce metallurgically clad pipes at a rate of 15-100x faster than weld overlay with better corrosion & surface properties and at a lower cost) is quickly proving to be the alternative solution that this large and growing market is looking for.”
MesoCoat’s CermaClad™ metallurgical cladding technology provides magnitude major improvement in productivity over the current state of art weld overlay and laser cladding technologies. CermaClad™ is substantially faster to apply, enables improved corrosion and wear resistance and does so without the need for toxic and hazardous fluxes. The global market for metal cladding for wear and corrosion protection is estimated at $3.8 billion and is expected to double in size over the next 3 years. MesoCoat is currently constructing a 1-line CermaClad™ manufacturing facility and plans to undertake the construction of a 4-line facility in the near future. These facilities are being built to support anticipated orders for projects that the company is bidding for with major oil companies, pipeline manufacturers and energy producers.
About Abakan Inc.
Abakan Inc. is dedicated to becoming a world market leader in the next generation of surface modification technologies, which protect critical infrastructure, industrial equipment and operating components from corrosion and wear. To accomplish this, Abakan is assembling controlling interests in next-generation materials science technology firms that have exceptional commercial potential. Currently, Abakan has a 71.1% interest (with an option to go to 85.2%) in MesoCoat, Inc.; a provider of advanced nanotechnology-based cermet thermal spray coatings and high speed cladding solutions, and a 41.0% interest in Powdermet, Inc.; a complementary and synergistic business producing proprietary metal formulations including hierarchically structured syntactic metal and ceramic composites used in MesoCoat’s cladding and coating processes.
Forward-Looking Statements:
A number of statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties including technological obsolescence, market acceptance of future products, competitive market conditions, and the sufficiency of capital resources. The actual results Abakan may achieve could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Abakan encourages the public to read the information provided here in conjunction with its most recent filings on Form 8-K, Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Abakan’s public filings may be viewed at www.sec.gov.
Abakan Inc.
Robert Miller, Chief Executive Officer
Phone: +1-786-206-5368
Email: [email protected]
www.abakaninc.com