W. Kroemmer, Linde AG, Unterschleissheim, Germany
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 CO2 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 CO2, but which is also suited to new applications.
