Recent advances in high velocity oxygen fuel torches in the form of miniaturization, joining, automation, and digitization are increasing the application opportunities for this thermal spray coating technology.

Developing a disciplined approach to standardizing special processes and introducing new technologies is key to eliminating defects in thermal spray applications.

Innovations built into a new plasma spray torch address shortcomings of previous axial injection equipment.

This article describes work to develop a cost-efficient plasma gun capable of high deposition rates. Engineers analyzed both gun components and gas flow dynamics to design a gun that improves plasma stability. Considerable effort was spent on characterizing the use of the gun for spraying yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) for thermal barrier applications.

This article describes the design and operation of a high-deposition rate plasma nozzle developed for ambient pressure spraying.

A high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spray gun that operates on conventional (gas or kerosene) fuels as well as liquid-gas combinations is shown to be capable of producing MCrAlY bond coats consisting of a rough surface layer (for adhesion) on a dense base (for oxidation protection).