Thermal Spray Coating Processes

Abstract

Thermal spraying includes a group of coating processes in which metallic and nonmetallic materials are spray deposited as fine particles in a molten or semimolten condition or even in fully solid state to form a coating. Thermal spraying allows deposition of coatings, from some tens of micrometers up to several millimeters in thickness. Thermally sprayed coatings are used in very different applications including protective and functional coatings in mechanical engineering, energy technology, biomedical, steel, automotive, aerospace, and many other industrial sectors. The present overview is a generic summary of the topic trying to comprehensively cover many important related aspects and to give to the reader a general knowledge about the technology, formation of the coatings, coating materials with their properties, and industrial applications of the coatings.