|
It is a rare opportunity to participate in the
emergence of a new technology and to witness the
birth of new practical applications. After
decades of theoretical physics research, cold
spray technology is offering exciting
opportunities for companies seeking a
competitive advantage by streamlining existing
processes, increasing value-added content,
reducing scrap, and enabling recycling.
CenterLine is leading the way
to provide users with practical and deployable
low-pressure gas-dynamic spray solutions.
This Cold Spray process variation is quite
different than the complimentary high-pressure
process but the resulting coatings are
essentially the same. This raises one of the
issues confronting users and potential users of
the process; that is, understanding the
different terms and processes generally lumped
together with the term Cold Spray.
| The Cold
Spray Process |
|
Some of the names used in conjunction
with the Cold Spray process include: |
|
o
Cold
Gas-Coating Technique |
|
o
Cold
Gas-Dynamic Method (CGDM) |
|
o
Cold
Gas-Dynamic Spray Technology |
|
o
Cold
Gas-Dynamic Spray Method (CGSM) |
|
o
Cold Spray |
|
o
Cold Spray
Processing |
|
o
Dymet® [Obninsk
Center for Powder Spraying (OCPS)] |
|
o
Gas-Dynamic
Spray (GDS) |
|
o
High
Speed Particle Deposition |
|
o
Kinetic
Metallization® [Innovative Technology,
Inc.] |
|
o
Kinetic
Spray Process |
|
o
Kinetic
Spray Coating. |
|
o
Kinetic
Spray Coating Method |
|
o
Supersonically Induced Mechanical Alloy
Technology (SIMAT) |
|
o
Vacuum
Cold-Spray (VCS) |
The term Cold Spray is
widely used and will undoubtedly continue to be
associated with the process. However, the term
Cold Spray has such a wide use in metallurgy and
other fields of endeavor that it simply does not
fulfill the need for a process designation. It
is desirable to have a process designation that
does not rely on establishing the context of
application before the meaning of the term is
clearly understood.
For this reason, CenterLine
chooses to employ the term coined by pioneering
and leading experts in the technology. This term
Cold Gas-Dynamic Spray is unique, unambiguous,
and employs words that communicate the nature of
the process.
Low-Pressure Cold Gas-Dynamic Spray
Pressure is included in the
process designation to distinguish CenterLine’s
proprietary system using commonly available shop
compressed air from more sophisticated systems
utilizing high-pressure inert gas.
Comparisons to Thermal Spray Processes
During implementation of
the cold gas-dynamic spray process it has become
apparent there is a need to make a clear
distinction between the thermal and solid state
spray processes. The early recognition of cold
spray as a thermal spray process variation did
not consider the need to clearly communicate
unique requirements, especially those pertaining
to health and safety. The distinction also helps
communicate that the cold gas-dynamic spray
process has different process parameters that
enable a new range of surfacing applications.
Thermal spray and solid state spray processes
are complimentary. Neither should be judged on
the successes or failure of one another in a
particular process application. |
