Techniques

Thermal spraying is a technique whereby a metal, a metal alloy or metal compound in wire or powder form, is melted and sprayed onto a surface using a thermal spray gun. This is done so that the component's usability is enhanced by the addition of coatings with improved properties.

Principle of thermal spraying2

With only one exception, thermal spraying is a cold process. That is to say that the workpiece undergoes a slight rise in temperature due to the heat transfer from the molten droplets when they land the surface. The conventional workpiece temperature of between 50° to 200° C cannot cause any deformation, change in structure or dilution. As a result, the base material always retains its original mechanical properties.

The structure of a cold-sprayed layer is lamellar, which is somewhat similar to a cast iron structure. Micro pores and oxide inclusions are partly the reason why some sprayed metal layers have a low frictional coefficient and high hardness. Microporous sprayed layers are also very good at retaining certain lubricants, thus preventing wear caused by metal/metal contact.

Cross Section of Coating2

The thermal spraying technique uses a group of materials that are known as self-fluxing alloys or hard metals, and, after spraying, are given a heat treatment at 1050° - 1150° C. The structure of these hot-sprayed layers is homogeneous and, as a result, the mechanical strength is significantly higher.

The base material for hot-sprayed layers is nickel, chromium, or cobalt, possibly with the addition of tungsten carbides, and these can be supplied in a hardness of Rc 30 to 75. These types of fused layers have a very high resistance to chemical corrosion, abrasion, heat oxidation, impact and/or heavy mechanical stress.

There are 5 main thermal spray techniques for applying the coatings. Griekspoor has the in-house expertise to apply every one of these techniques.

These are: