INOVATI

Cold spray is an additive manufacturing process for depositing metals, ceramics, or plastics onto surfaces without melting either the feedstock or the substrate. The feedstock powders are very fine (1-50 microns) and can consist of metals, ceramics, polymers, or any combination of the three. Since cold spray relies on kinetic energy to deposit the feedstock instead of thermal energy, the particles must be accelerated to supersonic speeds before they can be deposited. The high velocity powder particles plastically deform upon impact, which creates a strong (metallurgical) bond with the substrate and other powder particles. Since this process takes place below the melting point of both the feedstock and the substrate, the metallurgical properties of both are preserved. This makes cold spray a great alternative to conventional processes that require high temperatures (HVOF and plasma spraying) or that produce hazardous waste streams (plating)... Coatings once thought impossible.....