Bodycote deploys on-site hydrogen generation

Hydrogen is an essential industrial gas used in Bodycote’s precision heat treatment and surface coating technologies, treating metal and metal-alloy components for the aerospace, defense, automotive and energy sectors. This installation provides a lower-cost, lower-emissions solution.

The new system at Rancho Dominguez generates hydrogen at the point of use from electricity and water, eliminating impacts associated with bulk hydrogen transportation, distribution, and vendor handling and reducing associated emissions by more than 90%. It will also help drive down the cost of hydrogen.

Bodycote partnered with industrial gas innovator Hgen to deploy the hydrogen generation system at the plant. The Hgen module footprint is 20 times smaller than alternatives that produce the same gas volume, reducing system cost and space requirements. Its modular, expandable design allows production capacity to scale with process demand, supporting efficient resource use at Bodycote’s California site while strengthening long-term supply security.

The containerised module was supplied pre-assembled, minimising custom integration, and installation took less than two weeks.

“On-site gas generation avoids the need for expensive gas compression, transport, and storage,” said Molly Yang, CEO at Hgen. “The high efficiency of Hgen’s technology allows Bodycote to reduce gas costs while advancing its sustainability goals.”

Success at Rancho Dominguez is expected to pave the way for broader deployment of distributed hydrogen generation across additional sites, reinforcing Bodycote’s long-term energy transition strategy and sustainability commitments.

The Rancho Dominguez facility offers a complete range of heat-treatment and joining technologies, including annealing, vacuum heat treatment, diffusion bonding, and multiple brazing methods such as vacuum, hydrogen, inert atmosphere and induction brazing.

Certified to AS/EN 9100, ISO 14001 and NADCAP for both brazing and heat treatment, the facility upholds rigorous quality, safety and environmental standards, ensuring consistent performance and traceability for critical components. Accreditations such as AS/EN 9100, Nadcap enable the facility to meet the rigorous standards of the aerospace and defence sector. ISO 14001 certifications underpin its commitment to quality, environmental stewardship and health & safety across diverse industries.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/27032026/bodycote-deploys-on-site-hydrogen-generation/