Optimisation of the Robot Controlled Plasma Spraying of Thermal Barrier Coating for Gas Turbine Transition Duct

This paper demonstrates the use of an articulated robot in a plasma spraying operation for gas turbine transition ducts. A 3D model of the coating cell and workpiece plays a key role in the application, facilitating off-line programming and the verification of process parameters prior to spraying. In the spray experiments, a YSZ coating was applied to a NiCr bondcoat and subsequently characterized based on microstructure and hardness. The results were then used to set the injection parameters and travel path for the actual component. Paper includes a German-language abstract.