Available Thermal Spray Coatings

There are several thermal spray coating options available, including ceramics, carbides, metal and metal alloys, and abradable coatings. Each offers its own advantages and variety of uses.

Ceramics
Ceramics are most commonly applied for dielectric strength, sliding wear, thermal barriers, and corrosion protection. Common coatings include Alumina, Zirconia, Chromium Oxide, Titania, and Yttria stabilized Zirconia.

Carbides
Carbides are an extremely hard coating material that offer outstanding adhesion and wear resistance. These coatings are applied by HVOF or Plasma Spray. Common coatings include Tungsten and Chrome Carbide.

Metal and Metal Alloys
Metal and metal alloys can be used as bond coatings for other thermal spray coatings. They are commonly utilized to restore dimensions for improved wear and corrosion, dimensional buildup of parts for ease of machining, and for high temperature wear resistance, sliding wear, and applications requiring lubricity. Common coatings include Nickel Aluminum alloys, Nichrome, Titanium, and Triballoy.

Abradable Coatings
Abradable coatings are used in gas turbine engines for clearance control. As the rotating assemblies and blades heat and cool, they change in size due to thermal expansion. Manufacturing the assemblies to achieve close clearances during operation is difficult. The solution is to add a thick clearance control coating to the housing. As the blades rotate and heat up, they abrade a path through the coating making a near perfect fit groove to run in. These coatings can be tailored for low or high temperature environments.