Cold Spray for Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing

Cold gas dynamic spray technology, or cold spray, emerged as a practical technology in the 1980’s from the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk.  Thirty years later, potential commercial applications of this technology include leading edge manufacturing methods such as additive manufacturing or 3D printing.  In cold spray, spray powder is injected into a gas jet which accelerates the material to velocities above a unique temperature-dependent threshold that enables metallurgical and mechanical bonding to the substrate at relatively low temperatures.  The technique can produce un-limited thickness in a controlled fashion which makes it a good candidate for additive manufacturing or 3D printing.  This presentation describes working principles as well as advantages and challenges associated with additive manufacturing by cold spray