Hitemco announces 10,000 sq. ft. facility expansion for additional HVOF grinding capacity. READ MORE > News, HVOF Bigger and Faster: Hitemco Improves Coating Capabilities With a Key Site Expansion October 6, 2021 Over the last 40 years, Hitemco has been getting bigger and faster—expanding capabilities, growing from a handful of employees to a team of 106, and taking on hundreds of new customers. At the same time, we also committed ourselves to reducing lead times. But unlike businesses, buildings don’t grow. As a small, family-owned company with big aspirations, we are continually adding larger programs to our roster. About 13 years ago, we added capabilities that allowed us to handle HVOF landing gear coatings for Boeing’s 787 aircraft and military helicopters. When we challenged ourselves to cut down our turnaround times, we were able to reduce them by several weeks. We accomplished all of this while maintaining the level of quality and customer focus that our clients have come to expect. While business was growing and output was increasing, our Long Island facility…well, that stayed exactly the same. After adding three grinders to accommodate coating and finishing on-site, we were quickly running out of room. Luckily, we only had to look a little ways down the block to find exactly what we needed. Three doors down from the current Hitemco facility is a new 10,000-square-foot annex. After ten months of construction, the area is now finished—and ready to help Hitemco meet the demand of our bigger and faster business. Hitemco’s new 10,000 sq. ft. facility expansion allows more room for the precise work of grinding HVOF coatings to the exacting standards required for critical aerospace components like landing gear. Image by Roger Maragh A FACILITY THAT HELPS AEROSPACE SOAR (AND LAND) As one of the founding members of the Hard Chrome Alternative Technology (HCAT) group, Hitemco was instrumental in finding a safer alternative to toxic hexavalent chrome. Early testing for high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) coatings took place at our facility under the direction of HCAT members and has become the standard for landing equipment coatings and many other aerospace components. HVOF is a significant improvement over hexavalent chrome in terms of the health of engineers, aircraft technicians, and airline passengers—in fact, the EPA is in the process of phasing out chrome coatings altogether. In addition to being healthier, HVOF also lasts longer and offers better protection than chrome. THE POWER OF THE DAILY GRIND But there’s one important characteristic of HVOF coatings that can’t be ignored—once applied, it's not smooth. While that may seem like a minor issue, when dealing with highly precise components that come in contact with softer materials (like rubber seals), roughness is simply unacceptable. Hitemco discovered from the start that components coated via HVOF must undergo grinding—very precise and careful grinding—to remove the outer layer and polish the coating until it’s exceedingly smooth. Only then will the coated surface hold an oil film, making it safe to use in conjunction with rubber and other critical components. For a while, we sent our HVOF components out for grinding at other businesses. But when issues arose around both quality and turnaround time of the grinding services, it made the most sense to bring the task home and handle it ourselves. By adding in-house grinding machines to our operations, we could control the meticulous quality of the process and reduce lead times. Grinding machines aren’t small, though. As Hitemco developed a reputation for being one of the best grinders of HVOF coatings, business just kept growing. That meant more demand on our facility, with less space. We needed to grow. And that’s exactly what this new expansion has allowed. “ The facility is expanding our capacity. It allows us to increase the output we have in HVOF landing gear...which frees up some of our current building to expand capabilities for other opportunities, such as rockets. — Tom Hammond, Hitemco President SHAPING UP AND SHIPPING OUT Since grinding comes at the end of the process, it was only fitting that we add shipping capabilities to the new space. The larger area and improved packaging equipment allows for a fitting send-off for every component we handle. Hitemco President Tom Hammond (right) chats with one of Hitemco’s process engineers at the newly expanded site. With our involvement in a range of new commercial and military aerospace programs—and our ongoing relationships with long-term customers—this new facility is a long time coming. We began operations over 40 years ago, handling critical components like rocket thruster nozzles, jet engine afterburner liners, and hydrogen fuel cell components. And the future has us looking more and more to the stars: recognizing that many years of successful collaboration on various past NASA programs means we are uniquely qualified to serve the growing space exploration markets. Something as basic as more floor space at our facility will make that possible. It’s fitting—our coatings are often found on large equipment that goes fast. Thanks to our new expansion, we too will be able to grow larger and go faster. 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