Diamond Hard opens new Northants facility

After securing £570,000 of investment funding in November 2008, Diamond Hard Surfaces Ltd has just opened the 1,500 square ft development and manufacturing facility (pictured) to provide its customers a rapid coating service for the application of an innovative carbon coating to a wide range of engineered components used in extreme, arduous environments. Diamond Hard Surfaces is the first high technology company to occupy a site on the Park. The company’s patented coating, Adamant, is a thick, hard, amorphous, diamond-like carbon coating that possesses a combination of surface properties that the company says provide technical advantages over other currently available materials, particularly in extreme, harsh operating environments, where the life of engineered components, such as mechanical seals or bearings, is critical. Diamond Hard Surfaces says Adamant is particularly beneficial in applications where engineers are pushing the boundaries of load, chemical resistance, temperature and abrasion. The material derives its uniqueness from Diamond Hard Surfaces’ patented manufacturing process – not only is the coating applied to components at unusually low temperatures but it is also environmentally-friendly, with no pre- or post-treatment required. CEO Chris Walker said: “We are installing state of the art equipment at our new facility in Towcester, which will enable us to provide a coating service for advanced engineering applications in a diverse range of industry sectors, including oil and gas, motorsport, aerospace and medical. With its low friction and high load bearing characteristics, and excellent abrasive resistance, many companies are working with us in order to improve the efficiency of their high performance applications.” The company’s principal investors are Oxford Technology Management (OT4) and E6 Ventures Sarl, sector-specialist investors affiliated to Element 6, a $500 million manufacturer of supermaterials.