Expanite — the Danish pioneer specializing in surface hardening of stainless steel & titanium and ENPULSION the world leading manufacturer of electric propulsion systems for nano- and microsatellites collaborate successfully in solving wear and galling challenges in the production line at ENPULSION.
The Enpulsion Field-emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) technology is an advanced electrostatic propulsion concept of an ion engine that uses liquid metal – indium – as a propellant. A FEEP drive system consists of an emitter and an accelerator electrode. A potential difference in the order of kV is applied between the two, creating a strong electric field at the top of the metal surface which extracts ions from the apex of the cone and accelerates them to high speeds.
Before Enpulsion started using the Expanite hardening process they were challenged by galling of threads on the housing which caused serious issues in the production line. Enpulsion contacted Expanite in order to find a better solution.
The result already after first test trail proved overwhelmingly convincing on all parameters, and most importantly, the galling phenomenon disappeared completely.
