The trend in thermal spraying is increasingly towards a globally uniform level of high-grade spray coatings. It is therefore extremely important that auxiliaries such as spray materials or industrial gases undergo precise examination in order to exactly define their influence. This is not only made possible by selecting the right system, but also by choosing the right gas and gas mixture. In order to broaden the range of thermal spray applications, we have endeavoured to investigate the issue of the right gas mix for arc spraying. In doing so, it was concluded that, by using wire as the spray material, this cost-effective process can often be used as an equally viable alternative to other methods. The optimization of costs, extended lifetime of systems and tailoring of coating properties to suit specific applications are just some of these influencing variables

GTS is now almost 20 years old and has nearly 200 members from all thermal spray sectors. In this time, a great deal has been accomplished and GTS members are already using those tools GTS has made available to them and which are important for them. Here, the original idea of enhancing the quality of our technology and maintaining it at a high level continues to be an essential building block. In addition, many areas have been accessed in which an association can make more effective progress than each company on its own. With respect to issues such as further education and training, safety, environment, REACH and the compilation of guidelines, to name but a few, this idea has been successfully applied. The work of many in our organization has yielded many fruits and continues to make a difference. However, the benefits for each of us only become visible if we all actively work together. What is central to all the advantages which GTS offers is the candid discussion among its members and the opportunity for each member to quickly find his place in the group and to put these benefits to good use. The fundamental idea which GTS represents has therefore not changed in all this time: a high quality standard, cooperation, education and training, public relations all combined within the association’s guidelines and many working papers which are available to its members.

Gemeinschaft Thermisches Spritzen e.V. (GTS), the Association of Thermal Sprayers, has built up its excellent reputation and success on a sophisticated and, at the same time, transparent quality assurance network with replicable and comprehensible implementation procedures for thermal spraying. For this reason, along with its thermal spray marketing activities, GTS is deemed an important guarantor for this surface technology. This paper provides an overview of the GTS documents and related GTS workflow and procedures compiled for this purpose. Information on quality assurance provided by GTS papers and by the GTS certificate is also provided. The paper also covers activities and member services associated with GTS.

The trend in thermal spraying is more and more towards a globally uniform level of high-grade spray coatings. It is therefore extremely important that auxiliaries such as spray materials or industrial gases undergo precise examination in order to exactly define their influence. A further point is of particular significance in today’s business world. With ever-increasing raw material prices, it is absolutely essential that spray processes are optimized to the maximum. This is not only made possible by selecting the right system, but also by choosing the right gas and gas mixture. The optimization of costs, extended lifetime of systems and tailoring of coating properties to suit specific applications are just some of these influencing variables. Gas producers test countless facilities and thermal spray systems in their own laboratories and are therefore always in a position to provide the right solution for existing and new applications.

Advances in thermal spraying are occurring in two general directions. On the one hand, spray processes are becoming colder, facilitating the production of oxide-free coatings in air atmospheres. On the other hand, new systems are being developed that enable higher powder throughput, thus making production faster and more efficient. In order to lock in these time-saving advantages, more and more applications are using CO 2 as a cooling medium to increase cooling efficiency and optimize spraying processes. This paper provides an overview of the use of CO 2 and its suitability for new applications.

Equipment engineering, materials, gases and know-how are integral to the smooth operation of any system. The user often focuses on the attributes of the individual systems, but it is only in conjunction with all their components that the merits of the process can be exploited to the full. Here, industrial gases serve as essential building blocks which positively affect the process in an endless variety of ways. The optimization of costs, extended lifetime of systems and tailoring of coating properties to suit specific applications are just some of these influencing variables. Gas producers test countless facilities and thermal spray systems in their own laboratories and are therefore always in a position to provide the right solution for existing and new applications.

Not least because of the multitude of the possibilities which this process has to offer, has thermal spraying established itself in an extremely wide range of industrial sectors. In quest of new applications, special attention is frequently paid to the properties of individual systems. However, the trumps of the process can only be played out in combination with all the components as a whole. In industry nowadays, it is often the costs alone which are hotly disputed, and especially so when it comes to industrial gases. Yet precisely here infinite opportunities present themselves to positively influence the process. Starting with the optimization of costs, followed by the lifetime of the systems, through the variety of coating properties which can be tailored to the application, the influencing variables are endless. Investigations into this potential are already in full swing. Powder manufacturers are testing the many possibilities in their laboratories and have put their heads together with the R&D departments of hardware and gas suppliers in an effort to continually broaden the coating spectrum.

The trend in thermal spraying is more and more towards a globally uniform level of high-grade spray coatings. It is therefore extremely important that auxiliaries such as spray materials or industrial gases undergo precise examination in order to exactly define their influence. Based on their application, these auxiliary materials can always be supplied at the required purity level. In order to guarantee such high levels, the gas industry invests a great deal in analysis and supply concepts which ensure this purity from the tank or cylinder through to the point of delivery. A further point is of particular significance in today’s business world. With ever-increasing raw material prices, it is absolutely essential that spray processes are optimized to the maximum. This is not only made possible by selecting the right system, but also by choosing the right gas and gas mixture.

The GTS certificate, is the only certificate worldwide which, in addition to the quality management elements of DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, includes a personnel, process and, on request, also a product certification for thermal spraying. The rules for certification were worked out by the thermal spray users, i.e. GTS members, themselves and have proved to be very effective. Today, the GTS certificate serves as a basis for assessing a certified GTS member should inconsistencies or legal disputes arise. The certificate demonstrates that the certified company has a visible quality standard and that it also meets specified quality requirements in its day-to-day business operations.

Spurred on by the initial success of cold spray applications, a wide range of industrial sectors have since shown a tremendous interest in the youngest of the thermal spray processes. The forerunner, oxide-free copper coatings, paved the way for a variety of materials to be successfully sprayed at the Linde Technology Centre in Munich. At the same time, the hardware for cold spraying also underwent rapid development. This now means that new materials can be processed with the highest efficiency and quality possible, using lower-cost nitrogen rather than helium which is decidedly more expensive.

The gas industry not only offers the most effective gas for all thermal spray processes, it also provides a variety of supply concepts and hardware with which maximum profitability can be achieved. The operator of the thermal spray equipment is responsible for ensuring that sufficient gas quantities are available at all times, comparable to the logistics involved in spray material management. Linde is now offering a fully automatic gas supply concept, including everything from consultancy and installation, through to the types of gases which can be used. The customer can therefore choose to manage his stocks himself as before, or to have the gas delivered and the bundles replaced by the supplier. With a minimum of time and effort, this electronic aid enables a reliable and fail-safe gas supply

Two directions characterize the advances being made in thermal spraying today. On the one hand, the spray processes are becoming colder, as with cold spraying which facilitates the production of oxide-free coatings in the atmosphere. On the other hand, high-performance systems are being developed which enable a higher powder throughput, thus making production faster and more efficient. This development has made it more important than ever to maintain this time-saving advantage and not lose it as a result of cooling intervals. More and more applications require the use of CO 2 as a cooling medium to increase the cooling efficiency and, in turn, optimize the process. An ongoing objective of the gas industry is to offer the user hardware which not only exploits all the advantages of CO 2 , but which is also suited to new applications.

With lightning speed, the thermal spray process cold spraying established itself as a viable coating technology. Due to such properties as dense, oxide-free coatings, a multitude of new applications now present themselves which, up to now, were not feasible using traditional processes. With the targeted and process-oriented groundwork of the competence group and the manufacturer of cold spray equipment, together with a gas company the equipment engineering for cold spraying has reached an extremely high technological level, facilitating an efficient operation with a tremendous process reliability. This work has, of course, involved extensive long-term testing of such components as the nozzle and gas heater. In the same way, by successfully adapting spray materials, cold spray coatings can now be applied in many new fields and technologies. Practical solutions are already available in the automotive and electronics industries. The constant encounter with new applications for which cold spraying can provide solutions, demonstrates that a new era of thermal spraying in all branches of industry has begun.

Industrial gas product supply has a dramatic influence on the quality, consistency, and performance of thermal spray coatings and their application equipment. The various thermal spray processes test the limits of common gas supply modes in the areas of safety, pressure, purity, storage, and recovery. Selection criteria for the gas and supply mode, using the latest methods, are discussed for plasma, HVOF and cold spray techniques.

This paper discusses the gases used in different thermal spraying processes and the factors that determine purity requirements, consumption rates, and working temperature and pressure. It explains how process gases are supplied to and distributed within manufacturing facilities and how gas-handling systems and related equipment are tested for operational suitability and safety. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

This paper provides an overview of the equipment used in cold gas spraying. It discusses the general design and operation of key components, including the nozzle, the control system, the gas heater, and powder feeder. It also describes a typical gas supply system, the recycling of helium, and the provisions for health and safety that are necessary in a spray booth. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Being able to offer a consistently high level of spray coatings on a global scale has become more and more the trend in thermal spraying. For this reason it is extremely important that auxiliary materials such as industrial gases or spray materials of a high quality are provided world-wide. In connection with their respective applications, industrial gases must always be available at a specified purity level. In order to ensure such a purity, industrial gas producers invest a great deal of time and energy in analysis and supply concepts which guarantee this purity from the tank or cylinder through to the transfer point. This paper will provide an overview of state-of-the-art supply and purity concepts, as seen by the gas industry, and the influence of fluctuating gas quality. Examples will also be given for the differing gas qualities in individual countries.

The high technical level of thermal spraying is based on four segments: available know-how, equipment and installations, spray materials, and industrial gases. This article discusses the application of industrial gases used in thermal spraying. It describes the processes involved in the production, provision, and storage of industrial gases as well as their properties. In addition, the article also discusses the influence of quality on the individual fuel gases used in thermal spraying.

This paper presents a low-cost in situ diagnostic method that monitors and controls thermal spray processes using a CCD camera and a PC. The method, called particle flux imaging (PFI), records light emitted by thermal spray particles and the hot propellent carrier-medium in which they are conveyed. Brightness distributions corresponding to temperature and density profiles are represented by sets of ellipses that are compared in real time to a reference image. An image analysis algorithm adjusts relevant spray parameters based on the comparisons, maintaining a constant and unchanged spraying process.

Knowledge of the production, the properties and the relevant regulations for industrial gases are a prerequisite for the smooth application of thermal spraying in manufacturing and research. This is why corresponding supply concepts for this coating technology were developed. These have proven extremely successful in their practical application and they ensure the user the necessary gas purity at any time. The following article serves to inform the readers about the underlying principles of gas technology and to clearly show that, in the respective specialist gas industry, they have the right partner for solving their coating problems. Paper text in German.