Quick Introduction To Coatings

Thermal spray heats up for better components. Thermal spray processes, which use a spray gun to deposit finely divided molten materials onto a substrate, are among the most effective coating technologies that can be used to protect and improve the performance of critical parts. They are also at the forefront of current research and development efforts involving the use of nanostructured coatings to achieve greater resistance to wear and corrosion.

Various materials, including various metals and alloys, carbides, polymers, ceramics, cermets and composites, can be thermally sprayed onto a substrate to protect critical components and enhance their performance.

Sprayed coatings are widely used in OEM design and production, to rebuild worn machine parts, to salvage mis-machined parts or to remanufacture used equipment. Wherever parts wear or corrode, there is a potential coating application.

In OEM applications, sprayed coatings offer a rewarding combination of features by helping designers:

To create high performance parts that would be difficult or costly to produce by other means
To value engineer new or existing parts by spraying premium material coatings over lightweight or low cost substrates
To design composite material parts that use the best qualities of the sprayed coating and the structure member
To provide a surface property not otherwise available

When used to rebuild worn machine parts, sprayed coatings save time and money, while increasing service life:

Parts can be rebuilt faster and at less cost with sprayed coatings than by using welding, plating or sleeving
When new parts have to be ordered, spray repair can save days of downtime; yet the cost can run as low as 10% of replacement cost
Because a premium material can be used as the build-up coating, repaired parts will outwear new ones
Parts can be so easily rebuilt so that spare parts inventories can be greatly reduced

When used for salvage of mis-machined parts or undersized castings:

A coating material equivalent to the original material can be chosen to restore dimension
And to do so at a much lower cost than completely refabricating a new part.