Cold Spray Technology: Repair and Additive Process and Applications

Cold Spray is a technology that deposits powdered materials through ballistic impingement, where the associated shock and deformation result in a cold-welded bond joint. This process is used for repair, coatings, and even additive manufacturing. The unique attributes that set this technology apart from many others is the low heat input, the compressive residual stresses, the retention of the feedstock microstructure, and the lack of feedstock oxidation. When performed properly, this results in a high adhesive and cohesive strength. For the coating industry, the high bond strength, ability to mix multiple phases without thermal degradation, and compressive stresses produced, can greatly impact part performance. Hard wear coatings capable of chrome replacement have been produced with strain tolerance exceeding 1%, twice the best HVOF carbide coatings. These same materials also show high levels of impact resistance and damage tolerance. High density coatings for oxidation and corrosion resistance also outperform many of their industry counterparts. While cold spray deposition is having a significant impact on repair and additive manufacturing, the unique characteristics and quality of coatings provide real and near-term opportunities for the coatings industry across all industrial sectors.