BRAND-NEW
S P E C I A L O N A RC HI TE C TUR E & DESIGN
H
istoric manufacturer of
© Benelli
Benelli Launches BE.S.T., an Anti-Corrosion Surface Treatment for Firearms firearms Benelli has developed a special coating to protect
the barrel of firearms from corrosion, abrasion, wear and external agents. The process – called BE S.T. (acronym of Benelli Surface Treatment) – employs a recently improved and still under development innovative hybrid technology to create a coating which characteristics are similar to the ones of a diamond: high hardness, aesthetic preciousness and corrosion resistance. It also doesn’t require protective oil for maintenance purposes. “In the frame of a society that is increasingly attentive and sensitive to ecological values, we find BE S.T. which, unlike other treatments, is a wholly ecological technology, as it does not produce waste nor harmful emissions for the environment. It is also one of the processes with the lowest
1
Figure 1: Benelli has developed a special coating to protect the barrel of firearms from corrosion, abrasion, wear and external agents.
environmental impact, chosen at
The treatment process
outer layer with properties similar to the
European level for the replacement of
A part of the plant uses state-of-the-art
ones of diamonds, as it contains chains of
traditional coatings: in fact, emissions
solid-state ion sources, which allow the
hydrocarbons in which the carbon forms
and waste are basically zeroed”, reads
deposition of compact layers free of
sp3 bonds, typical of the diamond.
on Benelli’s website.
defects (potential corrosion triggers) typical
The coating process is 4.0 oriented.
The complex deposition process is
of other technologies in use. Another part
carried out at the Urbino facility with
of the plant employs a radiofrequency
a plant entirely built in Italy, according
plasma source, which is able to separate
Durability and an ultra-black finish
to Benelli’s specifications. The plant
the gaseous precursors introduced into the
The deposited layer is made of a carbon
employs high vacuum technology and
chamber, in order to create the conditions
and hydrogen lattice, has an amorphous
uses the catalytic properties of plasma,
for their deposition.
microstructure, is chemically inert and
which allow the occurrence of chemical
The BE S.T. process by Benelli employs
very hard. In contrast, the steel substrate
reactions otherwise impossible at the
a liquid precursor, covered by industrial
has a crystalline microstructure, is
low temperatures needed to preserve
secrecy, which is vaporized before entering
chemically reactive and relatively soft.
the mechanical characteristics of the
the chamber. The liquid precursor, also
Therefore, the coating applied directly
barrel.
called diamantoid, is the key to create an
on the steel has a low adhesion, due
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N. 56 - MARCH/APRIL 2019 - international PAINT&COATING magazine