Industry News
Cincinnati Thermal Spray, Solution Spray Technologies Sign Joint Deal
A thermal spray technician monitors process control data during R&D at
Cincinnati Thermal Spray’s technology center.
SPRAYTIME | 2018 First Quarter 4
thermalspray.org
Cincinnati Thermal Spray Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Solution
Spray Technologies LLC, Storrs-Mansfield, Conn., have recently
signed a nonexclusive license agreement to further commercialize
the solution precursor plasma spray process.
Solution Spray Technologies will be working at Cincinnati
Thermal Spray’s technology center in Ohio, along with their
engineers, to replicate the coating method. Cincinnati Thermal
Spray has invested in liquid feeding equipment and nextgeneration
plasma spray process control systems to support the
program. Upon installation, the companies will begin a R&D
program in Cincinnati. The teams are also working to identify and
introduce these coating technologies to a variety of new markets.
The solution precursor plasma spray approach consists
of a liquid chemical precursor, containing the desired cations,
atomized into the plasma jet. The injected solution evaporates
and the resulting salts are pyrolyzed, followed by melting and
deposition as micron-sized splats. The development results in
smaller splat sizes of < 2 microns.
A fast, high-throughput process for the method can be an
enabler for introducing plasma sprayed ceramic coatings for
microstructures from thick coatings with controlled vertical
cracking suitable for thermal barrier coatings to thin, dense
coatings suitable for corrosion protection. It offers the potential
of depositing coatings with chemistries that will be expensive to
handle through traditional, powder-based plasma routes.
The solution precursor plasma spray process has been under
development for more than a decade, with funding from the U.S.
The solution precursor plasma spray process map is shown.
Department of Energy through the University Turbine Systems
Research program and the Small Business Technology Transfer
Research programs for thermal barrier coating development.
Shane Elbel, president of Cincinnati Thermal Spray, noted the
company is “eager to help cultivate the next generation of thermal
spray processes.”
Ways to improve the throughput and robustness of the
method will be investigated. Cincinnati Thermal Spray is also
discussing it with engine manufacturers, repair entities, and
utilities that may be interested in testing the new thermal barrier
coating on actual components.
In the future, the teams will be publishing joint papers to
disclose achievements and recognize new applications identified
for this niche thermal spray process.
Highlighted is the microstructure of a solution precursor plasma spray
(SPPS) yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) thermal barrier coating (TBC).
The air plasma spray (APS) yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is also
featured.