A new thermal metal spraying process developed by Metallisation Ltd in collaboration with six other European companies is able to give coatings of near HVOF (high velocity oxy fuel) quality at less than half the cost.
At the heart of the system, which is known as Purecoat, is a computer designed spray head which solves the clogging and oxidisation problems normally encountered with conventional spraying in the open air. The coatings produced by the Purecoat process have properties similar to the feedstock material something normally only achieved by HVOF and expensive vacuum processes. Using Purecoat a sprayed copper coating can have electrical conductivity of up to 90% of that of wrought copper. A conventionally sprayed copper coat has a value of around 40%.