Influence of the HVOF Gas Composition on the Thermal Spraying of WC-Co Submicron Powders (-8+1 μm) to Produce Superfine Structured Cermet Coatings

Thermal spraying technology represents a novel and promising approach to protect forming tools with complex surfaces and highest shape accuracy against abrasive wear and galling. However, due to high or nonuniform layer thicknesses or inappropriate surface roughness conventional coarse-structured coatings are not suitable to achieve this aim. The application of novel submicron or nanoscaled feedstock materials in the thermal spray process can provide the deposition of cermet coatings with significantly improved characteristics and is recently of great interest in science and industry. In this collaborative study, the feeding and HVOF spraying of WC-Co submicron powders (-8 + 1 mu m) have been investigated to manufacture superfine structured, wear resistant, near-net-shape coatings with improved macroscopic properties and smooth surfaces. The influences of varying HVOF gas compositions on the spray process and the coating properties have been analyzed.