Hardbanding
 Hardbanding is the process of depositing hardfacing alloys onto drill pipe tool joints, collars and heavy weight pipe in order to protect both the casing and drilling assets from wear associated with drilling practices. Hardbanding is most commonly applied to the box end of drill pipe tool joints using a MIG welding process, bonding the hardbanding alloy with the parent steel of the drill pipe. There are, however, other hardbanding application methods that are occasionally used including laser and plasma arc processes.
The need for hardbanding arose decades ago when drilling contractors and operators wanted a way to protect and extend the life of costly drill pipe and tool joint material from the wear associated with rotational and axial friction forces while drilling and tripping in and out of a well. Initially, tungsten-carbide particles were dropped into a mild-steel matrix, remaining the industry standard used for many years. However, well owners soon realized that while the tool joint was virtually free of wear, the tungsten-carbide based hardbanding was causing extreme rates of wear and occasional total failure of the well casing. The goal for the hardbanding industry became clear: create a hardbanding alloy that is casing-friendly while providing adequate protection of the tool joints.
 Since that time, the market has become increasingly competitive and newer, more metallurgically advanced alloys have been introduced that protect casing and drill string assets better than ever. As wells are being drilled further, faster and more directionally, new challenges arise for hardbanding alloy producers. Competitive hardbanding products must now be able to protect drilling and casing components, but also withstand increasing extreme pressures and temperatures experienced in wells today. "Staying ahead of where drilling is going" is a mantra that every hardbanding producer will have to follow in order to stay competitive. Research is producing valuable and telling results that is enabling companies to improve their existing products, as well as, work towards introducing new and innovative hardfacing alloys to protect drill pipe and casing assets like never before.
As drills go deeper and the hardbanding industry stedily evolves, D/F Machine Specialties strives to meet the associated demands by selling quality MIG welding products for your hardbanding needs. Our Automatic MIG Water-Cooled-to-the-Tip Machine Torches and our Open-Arc Water-Cooled Gasless Overlay Machine Torches are ideal for steel wire, stainless steel, hard, cored, flux cored, or stellite, 1000 degree preheat, high deposition or continuous duty cycles - these are the torches used by:
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Coffey Mfg., LLC - Leading Manufacturer for portable and in-house Hard Banding Equipment
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Postle Industries - Hardbanding Solutions - Home of the Most Wear Resistant, Non-Cracking Casing Friendly Hardbanding on the Market
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CSI Inspection, LLC - Visual, Mag Particle, EMI, UT and Shear Wave Inspections with State of the Art Calibrated Equipment
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Smith Services (Schlumberger) - Drilling Tools & Services
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Arnco - Wear Resistant Hardbanding Alloys for the Worldwide Petroleum Industry
Hardbanding solutions for your business - whether you are oil & gas operators, drilling contractors, pipe rental companies, pipe manufacturers, or hardband applicators, hardbanding will help you:
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Extend the life of tool joints
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Reduce the number of times the pipe is pulled for maintenance
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Provide faster re-application of hardbanding - 100% rebuildable
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Non-cracking minimizes problems of spalling and cracking
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Ease of application with minimal clean up
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Fast delivery means reduced inventory
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Easy re-application - 100% rebuildable without removing the previous hardbanding layers
Companies that use Hardbanding Solutions:
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British Petroleum
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Ensign Drilling
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Exxon Mobil
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Marathon Oil
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RDT
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Shell Exploration
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Transocean
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VAM
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Weatherford
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Since that time, the market has become increasingly competitive and newer, more metallurgically advanced alloys have been introduced that protect casing and drill string assets better than ever. As wells are being drilled further, faster and more directionally, new challenges arise for hardbanding alloy producers. Competitive hardbanding products must now be able to protect drilling and casing components, but also withstand increasing extreme pressures and temperatures experienced in wells today. "Staying ahead of where drilling is going" is a mantra that every hardbanding producer will have to follow in order to stay competitive. Research is producing valuable and telling results that is enabling companies to improve their existing products, as well as, work towards introducing new and innovative hardfacing alloys to protect drill pipe and casing assets like never before.
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