The Automotive Industry

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Automotive & EV Coatings — Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond for HighDuty, Precision Assemblies

Automotive hardware faces a relentless mix of abrasion, boundary lubrication, salt spray corrosion, thermal cycling, vibration, and tight dimensional constraints—all while being produced at global scale with cost and warranty pressure. Metal Diamond’s Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond (ENND) is engineered for these realities, providing chromefree, wearresistant, lowfriction, and corrosiontough thin films for suspension/steering, driveline/powertrain, braking & hydraulics, mechatronics, and EV propulsion & batteryadjacent assemblies.

We deploy via a partnerled model: certified licensees or jointventure (JV) partners we train, supply, and enable. OEMs and Tier suppliers gain standardized quality inregion, supported by line setup, process control, and assured materials supply.

Equipment

What Is Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond—and Why It Fits Automotive Duty

Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond is a NiP nanocomposite in which nanoscale diamond particles codeposit within an electroless nickel–phosphorus matrix. The autocatalytic process achieves uniform, conformal coverage on complex geometries—including internal diameters, splines, threads, bores, valve spools, piston rods, gear faces, and thinwall housings—often without postgrinding, preserving precision fits.

Outcome (Tier D/C language): Engineered to help extend component life, stabilize fit/finish over service intervals, and reduce warranty risk—without resorting to Cr(VI) hard chrome.

Mechanisms that matter on road and track:
  • Antiploughing hardness: diamond reinforcement helps resist abrasive microcutting under mixed friction and debris.
  • Low friction / antigalling: supports smoother metaltometal contact in rods, spools, pins, gears, and threads, reducing adhesive wear and torque spikes.
  • Corrosion management: NiP chemistry engineered for salt spray, humidity cycling, brake fluid/coolant/oil exposure, and road chemicals.
  • Uniform thin films: typical ~7–50 μm (applicationspecific) help maintain clearances, surface finish, and sealing behavior.
  • Chromefree pathway: a hard chrome replacement coating option in many automotive thinfilm use cases (e.g., piston rods, spools, pins, shafts).
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Where Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond Delivers Immediate Value in Automotive & EV

Domain Priority Components / Surfaces Common Stressors Why Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond Operational Impact
Suspension & Steering Shock/strut piston rods, steering rack bars, bushings/pins, ball struts, linkages Boundary lubrication, salt spray, fretting Low friction, antigalling, corrosion-tough thin film Smoother actuation, preserved finish, predictable service intervals
Braking & Hydraulics Caliper pistons, slider pins, master cylinder pistons, ABS/ESC valve spools Sliding wear, fluid exposure, corrosion Conformal thin films on ID/OD; NiP chemistry resists corrosion; low friction Stable operation, fewer sticking events, clean serviceability
Powertrain & Driveline (ICE/Hybrid) Gear teeth & hubs (select surfaces), splines, shafts, synchronizer interfaces, EGR/valve hardware (select intersection) Wear under load, boundary friction, condensate/corrosion Thin, hard, low-friction protective layer; conformal on complex features Designed to reduce interface wear; maintain dimensional fidelity
EV Propulsion & EAxle eaxle shafts/gears (select faces), rotor shafts, reduction gear interfaces, bushing/journal areas Vibration, high duty cycles, lubricant variability Thin, uniform films preserve clearances with minimal mass penalties Supports durability targets with minimal weight/drag penalties
Thermal, Pumps & Mechatronics Coolant/water pump shafts & impellers, actuator housings, sensor enclosures, connector hardware Fluid exposure, condensation, micro-fretting Conformal, corrosion-tough thin films on complex geometry Reliable function, longer intervals, smoother assembly
Body/Assembly Hardware Fasteners, threads, hinges, latches, seat mechanisms Salt spray, galling, humidity cycling Low friction & corrosion management at thin films Cleaner torque behavior, fewer seized threads

ICE vs EV — Tailoring Coating Strategy to Propulsion Architectures

Internal Combustion & Hybrid Powertrains

  • Challenges: boundary friction at synchronizers, splines, gear faces; corrosion at condensateprone locations; sticking/spools in hydraulic controls.
  • ENND fit: thin, uniform films designed to reduce galling, support corrosion management, and preserve clearances on precision interfaces.

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) & EAxles

  • Challenges: high duty cycles, NVH sensitivity, mass constraints.
  • ENND fit: lowfriction, thin films on shafts, gears (select surfaces), and bearing journals designed to limit wear and preserve fit with minimal added mass.

Common to Both

  • Pumps, housings, and mechatronic hardware benefit from conformal, corrosiontough thin films that sustain dimension and finish under fluids and humidity.
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Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond vs Hard Chrome in Automotive Thin Films

Certain automotive parts have historically relied on hard chrome, especially piston rods and hydraulic components. Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond provides a chromefree route in many thinfilm applications with strong advantages in conformality and friction/galling behavior.

  • Chromefree pathway aligned with modern EHS expectations.
  • Uniform, conformal coverage on ID/OD, threads, splines, bores, and complex profiles where lineofsight processes can struggle.
  • Low friction / antigalling at boundarylubricated interfaces.
  • Repeatable thin films (~7–50 μm) engineered to preserve clearances and surface finish.

Comparison Snapshot (Guidance)

Criterion Hard Chrome Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond
Chemistry Cr(VI) based NiP matrix with nanodiamond (chrome-free)
Geometry Coverage Line-of-sight Conformal, uniform on complex geometry
Friction/Galling Good, process-dependent Designed low friction; strong antigalling behavior
Thin Film Control Good Excellent at ~7–50 μm, application-tuned
Salt Spray / Fluids Usecase dependent NiP chemistry engineered for salt/humidity and fluids

Engineering note: Feasibility, finishing, and temperature envelope are application-specific; qualification follows OEM/Tier standards and validation plans.

DesignforCoating (DFC) & Quality Planning for Automotive & EV

Design for Coating
  • Thickness targeting:
    • Rods/spools/pins/threads/housings: typically ~7–30 μm to preserve fit/finish.
    • Shafts/splines/gear faces (select): ~15–40 μm tuned to duty and tolerances.
  • Surface preparation: substrate metallurgy, masking, and edge protection defined during DFC.
  • Fluid compatibility: align to oil, ATF, brake fluid, coolant, DEF, and road chemicals as applicable.
  • Galvanic context: consider mixedmetal stacks; isolation may be specified.
  • Finishing: many parts require minimal postprocessing; where finishing is needed, steps protect geometry and sealing surfaces.
  • Inspection & traceability: thickness checks, adhesion tests, and documentation aligned to OEM/Tier QA and PPAPstyle workflows.
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Proof of Concept Path for OEMs, Tier1/Tier2 & Mobility Startups

Proof of Concept Process
Step 1 — Requirements & DFC (DesignforCoating)

Review drawings, substrates, duty cycle, fluids, environmental exposure, tolerance stackups, and service interval goals.

Step 2 — Pilot Batch & Bench Alignment

Coat a pilot batch—e.g., piston rods, rack bars, spools, shafts, splines, or housing features—and align bench tests (abrasion/erosion, salt fog/humidity cycling, fluid exposure, dimensional checks).

Step 3 — Controlled Vehicle/Bench Trial

Track cycles/hours, fit/finish inspections, torque/drag signatures, surface condition postrun, and service observations.

Step 4 — Standardize & Scale

Approve an Electroless Nickel NanoDiamond specification per component family and scale through local certified Partners to support program builds, SOPs, and aftermarket needs.

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esg_considerations

Metal Diamond does not operate local coating shops. We enable qualified automotive Tier suppliers, precision shops, steering/braking rebuilders, and EV startups via licensing or JV.

What Partners Receive:

  • Territory rights tied to performance and audits
  • Exclusive materials supply (nanodiamond additives, electroless nickel chemistries)
  • Coating line design, installation & commissioning (typ. 3–6 months to readiness)
  • Training & certification (operators, QA, safety) + periodic audits
  • Sales enablement: domain playbooks (suspension, braking, driveline, EV eaxle), ROI tools, proposal kits
  • Ongoing R&D updates and process optimization
Partner Application

Implementation FAQs (Automotive & EV)

In many thin-film applications, yes. It provides a chrome-free, wear-resistant, low-friction coating with conformal coverage. Final feasibility is application-specific and validated to OEM/Tier standards.

We target ~7–50 μm, co-designing to preserve clearances, surface finish, and seal performance.

We focus on non-hot-section and moderate-temperature parts. Thermal envelope, fluids, and duty cycle are verified in feasibility studies.

Yes. Electroless deposition is conformal and uniform on ID/OD, threads, splines, bores, and complex profiles.

With our line setup & commissioning, most partners reach readiness in 3–6 months, subject to scope and approvals.

Metal Diamond is the exclusive supplier to certified Partners under long-term agreements.

Through SOPs, operator/QA certification, audits, and optional digital QA dashboards for process monitoring and benchmarking.
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