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How Does Thermal Spray Work? Coating materials are fed into a “gun” where they are heated to a molten or semi-molten state by electric or combustion energy. High-pressure gas/air atomizes and propels the heated particles to a substrate that has been cleaned and prepped by abrasive grit blast. The heated particles impact the surface and flatten, which bonds them to the substrate where they build to create a dense, tightly-bound coating. The Benefits of Thermal Spray Coatings
While welded overlays have been used for many years, improvements in Thermal Spray equipment and process controls offer bond strengths and thickness potentials that rival welding. Added benefits of thermal spray are the relative smooth and consistent surface finish “as sprayed” allowing for a quicker and more efficient machine grinding to final size. Additionally, there is no heat affected zone (HAZ) associated with thermal spray. Because of the limited temperature exposure of thermal spray (<300°F), substrate strength and temper characteristics are not altered. Ellison Surface Technologies’ High Velocity Oxygen Fueled (HVOF) coating method uses tightly controlled processing to apply an array of coatings, such as tungsten or chromium carbide, in place of hard chrome. Some of the HVOF benefits are:
Thermal Spray Coatings adhere to a wide variety of substrates. Their low permeability provides long-lasting protection against corrosion and wear. Thermal spray coating methods include HVOF, Plasma, Flame Spray and Electric Arc.
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