THERMAL SPRAY

Our proprietary detonation gun (D-Gun) thermal spray process is the leading solution for parts that require extraordinary wear and mechanical properties. It combines gas and powder in controlled detonations to generate outstanding bond strength and density. Typical applications include fan blade midspans in aviation engines, turbine blade z-notches, knife-edge seals in power generation, steel-sheet roller guides and extruders.

Our proprietary Super D-Gun™ application detonates particles at extremely high velocities, exceeding 3,000 feet per second. And when compared to other thermal spray applications, it offers significantly improved coating properties, such as fatigue resistance. Typical applications include both original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and restoration fan blade midspans and aero-engine compressor blades.

Standard production coatings include carbides such as tungsten carbide or chrome carbide with a variety of metallic binders; metallic alloys such as MCrAlYs; and ceramics such as alumina- or yttria-stabilized zirconia and cermets, which are available in virtually any oxide/carbide/metallic ratio desired.

This economical coating method accurately mixes and burns oxygen with a fuel while wire or powder feedstock is fed into the torch. The feedstock material melts and is projected onto the surface by concentrated compressed air.

Typical applications include molybdenum for automotive parts.

Invented by Praxair Surface Technologies, HVOF is an internal combustion system that generates a supersonic flame jet for heating and accelerating powders to form the surface coating. The process allows us to uniquely control application variables, resulting in high-density coatings and strong bonds with repeatable composition, structure and properties.

Typical coating thicknesses range from 0.002 to 0.020 inches (50 to 500 µm), and as-deposited surface roughness may exceed 100 µin (2.5 µm) Ra. Coatings may be used as deposited or ground and lapped to meet your needs.

Plasma-sprayed coatings, invented by Praxair Surface Technologies, are created by heating and accelerating powder material in a high-temperature plasma stream and projecting it against the surface. Standard production coatings include pure metals and metallic alloys such as nickel or ni-chrome and ceramics such as alumina, chromium oxide or alumina-titania, and cermets.

Mixing the plasma stream with surrounding air causes oxidation of metallic powders during spraying. Our proprietary shrouded plasma spray technology provides an inert atmosphere surrounding the stream and is capable of producing low oxide content in metallic coatings equivalent to LPPS.

A modified version of air plasma spray, SPS utilizes liquid suspension of particles in place of dry powder feedstock. SPS provides for feeding of finer particle sizes (nanometer scale) that are very difficult to flow in dry powder form. This process is capable of unique coating microstructures.

Also known as electric arc spray, wire arc spray is used in a variety of situations from high-volume, low-cost applications to high-quality aircraft coatings that have replaced plasma. The process places an electric arc between two consumable electrodes of a coating material and uses compressed gas to atomize and propel the material to the substrate.