2EFFE Company Services & Products

	Shot peening This process has the purpose of increasing resistance to fatigue and corrosion of mechanical parts. Essentially, it consists of submitting the most exposed areas of a mechanical part to the bombardment of steel or ceramic spheres of suitable diameter. The transformation of part of the kinetic energy possessed by the spheres into plastic deforming energy on the surface material induces a state of tensional compression that notably increases resistance capacity to cyclical loads. This control of induced stress, using X Ray diffraction, optimises the process parameters and considerably improves performance.
	X-Ray diffraction This technique is not widely known, but it allows detection of residual stress and the measurement of austenite remaining in metal samples. Residual stress is due to thermal treatment, mechanical processes, welding and surface treatment that the pieces undergo during the manufacturing process. This type of stress permanently influences the piece's resistance, especially under strain, and often the cause of breaks that have no metallurgical justification. One example is given by the alterations in the surface tension induced by heat in grinding, easily detected with X Ray diffraction or with the Barkhausen Noise method.
	Electronic microscopy In the laboratory of 2Effe Engineering there are two scanning electron microscopes that can obtain enlargement until 300.000X. In particular, one has a EDS micro-probe and the other makes photos directly in digital format.
	Barkhausen noise The Barkhausen Noise method can be used to detect residual stress only on magnetic ferrous materials (iron, cobalt, nickel and relative alloys). As known, the magnetic domain in these materials are generally casually oriented (see sketch a). Under these conditions the global magnetisation is null. The application of a magnetic field, or a mechanical deformation, causes a change in the structure of the domains (movement of the boundaries that separate them or rotation of the magnetising vectors) which in turn modifies the global magnetisation of the piece.
	S.TR.A. The S.TR.A.® treatment patented by 2 Effe Engineering is an evolution of shot peening treatment and is applied mostly to pieces in aluminium and magnesium alloy. This process is used to induce the required residual stress and is optimised and controlled by 2 Effe Engineering using X-Ray Diffraction technology.
	Lapping Fatigue resistance is influenced by a multiplicity of parameters and among these, roughness and residual surface tensions play a fundamental role. In fact, low roughness levels, combined with high residual traction values, negatively influence fatigue resistance. 2Effe Engineering has developed a polishing method with a diamond paste that permits very low roughness levels (Ra < 0.03 µm) and to instil high compression levels (> -900 Mpa) at the same time. The polishing process essentially eliminates the roughness crests, without the use of acids that could cause dangerous long-term corrosion phenomenon.
	Metallization Due to the flexible and dynamic resources of the department, with the different tecnique used (HVOF and thread metallization) it is possible to treat a large range of components differing in size, weight, shape and contribution. Common factors that treated components have are: particulary corrosive work environment and wear or the need of refurbishment. In order to guarantee the safety of the job, the repeatability and quality of the coating, the metallization pistol is mounted on an anthropoid robot, in an acoustically isolated cabin fitted with a smoke suction system. Using two different diffractometers, one for the residual stress and one for the powders, 2Effe Engineering are capable of verifying the phase analysis of the coating (and the powders) and of evaluating the existing residual stress livels on the coating carried out. For specific components that require elevated finishes it is possible to exploit the synergy with the lapping (reaching Ra<0.4) or correcting the areasof interest.