Thermal spray coating techniques such as HVOF, flame wire spraying, flame powder spraying, arc wire spraying, plasma spraying and cold gas spraying, allow many problems of wear, corrosion and thermal degradation to be resolved by engineering the surface with tailor-made coatings.
Thermal spraying is an attractive coating technique as it offers a wide choice of materials and processes that have a reduced impact on the environment when compared to conventional plating processes.
The demands for engineering coatings are becoming more and more stringent. Environmental concerns are also being considered as an integral part of the design process. For future economic competitiveness and a lower environmental impact we must, therefore, turn our attention to processes that use the minimum of resources.