Plasma spraying-an innovative coating technique: process variants and applications

The use of plasma processing for spraying is reviewed, with emphasis on the material used, their sprayed structure, and successfully applied coatings. It is noted that new and further developments in plasma spray processes, spray devices, and spray materials have led to advantages in the realization of functional coatings and applications ranging from conventional to highly specialized industries. Different functions of the sprayed coatings can be achieved by choosing various plasma-process variations and any of a high number of useful coating materials. The plasma-spray process can be regarded as almost universal because of its inherently high process temperature, which allows almost unlimited combinations of coating and base material to be used