The Advancement of Thermal Spray Coating Technology


Thermal spray coating refers to a number of processes in which a substrate is coated to improve functional performance. Many types of coating materials can be applied by thermal spray processes. Coatings can range in thickness from a thousandth of an inch up to an eighth of an inch. These have been used to protect parts from wear, abrasion, corrosion, high temperatures, etc. and to build dimensions on undersized parts.

The thermal spray coating processes
This involves the deposition of coatings from a stream of high velocity finely divided particles in a molten or semi-molten state impinging onto the substrate. These processes use fine powdered source material or sometimes metal wire that is molten and broken into fine droplets. The coating gun adds thermal energy to bring the materials to a plastic or molten condition and accelerates these materials at high velocities toward the substrate.

Thermal spray coatings are widely used in a variety of industrial applications. Molten powder or wire is heated either through oxy-fuel combustion or plasma—the flame of the spray device powers the heated mixture, and after even spray distribution onto a metal product, the mixture assumes its solid coating form. These can serve an array of functions; commonly used to treat planes, they can also protect products from wear, temperature extremes, chemicals, and even protect buildings from external environmental conditions like rain and humidity. Although there are multiple methods and materials involved in thermal coating, they are distinguished by both heat source and the base material used for deposition. Combustion flame spraying, high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF), two-wire electric arc spraying, plasma spraying, and vacuum plasma spraying are several common coating application processes.

There are several different types of thermalspray coating processes
They differ in how they apply thermal and kinetic energy to the source material, the form of the source material (powder or wire) and the relative velocities and temperatures of the flame. Each process has advantages and disadvantages, and some are optimized for certain types of coatings.

Coating material starts as powder or wire form. A wide range of materials are available
The thermal spray gun provides energy to the coating material particles and transports the coating to the substrate part. Energy can be thermal or kinetic. Several different technologies are available: HVOF, Plasma Spray, Wire Arc Spray, and Flame Spray.

The thermal spray gun is controlled by an industrial robot for precise repeatable control of the coating. As the particles of molten material impact the substrate, they collapse into flattened droplets and in lamellar layers forming a cohesive coating structure. Cooling of the substrate is used to control the temperature gain of the substrate.

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