The only way to ensure a WS2 coating is truly compliant to AMS 2530 is to perform the above tests using WS2 in the application machine used in production. This is a requirement of our largest customer and an advantage we have over many competitors. Most buy certified material from a supplier which is pretested for the required AMS 2530 criteria using the supplier’s own application equipment, not the equipment used to process customer parts.

At F.A.S.T we certify our material on a lot by lot and application machine basis, raising the bar to ensure valid AMS 2530 certified services.

An Example of why machine by machine testing is better quality control

During the 12th European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium (ESMATS) in 2007, it was reported that the key for air-impinged coating is finding a vendor with excellent quality control. Without adequate care, the coating’s cycle-life is unpredictable, with the endurance of the tested company’s tungsten disulfide coatings varying by two-orders of magnitude among three different vendors locations [i].

All 3 vendor locations use the same material from the same supplier but, the test results are substantially different.  This would lean towards the application process varying widely between the three locations. If each location certified the material on their production machines, like we do, the risk of this happening is almost eliminated.