Kinetic Metallization™ - a Repair Process for Damaged IVD-Al Coatings or Mg and Al Alloy Components

Repair of damaged Ion Vapor Deposition Aluminum coatings on high strength steel aircraft components generally requires the use of brush plating with hazardous materials including cadmium. Inovati has developed a unique Al-Trans® (aluminum-transition metal) coating using the Kinetic Metallization process that permits repairs of IVD-Al coatings on high steel steels. Originally the Al-Trans® coating formulation was developed for commercial application on telecommunication equipment steel racks as an electrically conductive grounding strip with excellent corrosion resistance. Recent research was completed with NAVAIR to further develop this coating formulation and Kinetic Metallization process for repair of IVD-Al coatings on aircraft components. The Al-Trans® coatings were applied with a handheld KM Gun and tested in accordance with a Joint Test Protocol for application of corrosion resistant coatings on steel components. This presentation will describe the KM repair process developed and the tests completed to qualify the repaired coatings. New research work is currently underway to develop a portable KM-Mobile Coating System with a handheld KM Gun for repair of corrosion damaged to magnesium and aluminum alloy aircraft components.