Investigation of a Pulsed Current Wire Arc Spray Process

The wire arc spray process is still subject to research as a frequently used coating technology for the production of wear and corrosion resistant coatings. The aim is to control the droplet formation caused by voltage fluctuations leading to high porosity and irregular layer qualities. One innovative approach to solve this problem is using commercially available Gas Metal Arc Welding power sources. These highly developed inverter current sources offer the possibility to control the droplet ablation by a current pulsed process. A direct impact on the cathode and anode spots is expected and thus a possibility to obtain a uniform droplet formation. To investigate the pulsed process innovative diagnostics are used measuring different process and particle parameters in order to explore the differences in droplet formation between pulsed and stationary process. These investigations should show if the expected process optimization through the use of pulsed current traces can be achieved.