Marine Applications

Kolene’s marine work goes back to World War II. Tin was under embargo, and the shortage threatened the supply of ships’ bearings. Kolene developed the cleaning technology to produce dependable bearings with little or no tin, and the process is still in use today.

Today we support boat and engine builders, repair yards and their suppliers with three processes: molten salt paint and powder stripping, casting cleaning, and salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC).

Common marine applications

Paint Stripping

• Molten salt strips paint and powder from the hooks, racks, and fixtures that carry engine parts, housings, and hardware through a coating line. Treatment time depends on the coating and the amount to be removed.
• The Kolene^® Recover^® process salvages rejected coated parts. It removes cured paint, powder, and e-coat and leaves the part ready to recoat. Results depend on the metal, coating, and process; on compatible metals under controlled process conditions, polished surfaces are virtually unaffected.

Casting Cleaning

• The Kastech^® Electrolytic process removes burned-in sand, scale and graphite from iron castings, internal passages included.
• Clearing the sand left in valve and cylinder castings keeps it from breaking free in service and scoring seals and spindles. Removing scale improves heat transfer in engine heads and blocks.
• Kastech Electrolytic also prepares cast iron surfaces for brazing and babbitting.
• Kastech salts remove residual shell and silica core from ferrous and select non-ferrous investment castings.

Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC)

• Salt bath FNC surface-hardens steel parts such as shafts, pins and fittings for wear and corrosion resistance.
• Kolene FNC-Base^® salt is used to meet SAE AMS 2753 for salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing.
• The Kolene QS^® oxidizing quench controls the cooling rate to limit distortion.
• We supply the salts, the FNC-Regen^® regenerator and complete nitriding lines, and our lab analyzes bath samples to keep nitriding potential in range.

We also support defense programs. See Military Applications for CARC stripping, descaling and lubricant removal.