Thermal spray materials are available in two types — wire/rod and powder. Of these, wire/rod thermal spray material offers better quality coating than the powder one. The wire/rod spraying processes involve the applications of ceramic-based, metal-based, and polymer-based wires/rods. These wires or rods are fed into guns or torches that are heated above their melting points to generate molten droplets. After this, the molten droplets are dispatched in a stream of gas and cast over the surface for coating purpose.
These thermal spray materials are largely used in industries such as oil & gas, energy and power, aerospace, medical devices, electronics, automobile, and industrial gas turbines. Additionally, these materials are employed in mining, textile manufacturing, food processing, rubber production, and industrial manufacturing units.
Due to the increasing shift toward ariel mode of transportation, aircraft production is on the rise. Additionally, rising expenditure on the defense sector has added growth to the aerospace industry. Because of the soaring aerospace sector, the demand for thermal spray materials has surged significantly in recent years. These sprays are used for coatings on turbo-machinery like compressor seals, rotor-path linings, oil seals, high-pressure turbine seals, bearings, engine components, and airframe. The thermal spray materials are used to enhance fluid dynamics, reduce maintenance costs, improve fuel efficiency, and prevent wear.
Furthermore, major producers of thermal spray materials are multinational corporations (MNCs) that include H.C. Starck GmbH, OC Oerlikon Corporation AG, Höganäs AB, Praxair S.T. Technology Inc., and Kennametal Inc. Some of the other players operating in the industry are Saint-Gobain A.G., C&M Technologies GmbH, Carpenter Technology Corporation, Bay State Surface Technologies Inc. (Aimtek Inc.) Powder Alloy Corporation, AlSher APM, Sandvik AB, and AMETEK Inc. Majority of these firms opt for forward-integration to offer coating solutions, in the form of equipment, technologies, and services for various sectors.
According to P&S Intelligence, the North American thermal spray materials market generated maximum demand for these materials in 2018, due to the presence of large military and civil aircraft manufacturers, such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, and Bombardier Inc. These aerospace industry giants use high volume of thermal spray materials to protect aircraft components from corrosion and wear. Moreover, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Eastern European regions are expected to display high demand for these materials in future, due to the rising requirement for industrial equipment and machinery in the consumer products, construction, and automobile industries.
Additionally, new spray technologies, such as non-destructive testing (NDT), and rising adoption of processes, such as kinetic spraying, are expected to increase opportunities in the thermal spray materials market. Kinetic spraying or cold gas dynamic spray process is one of such new spray methodologies, in which solid particles strike substrate at high velocities to develop a coating on the surface of the substrate. Besides, the process is extremely favorable because of its compatibility with monocrystalline materials and metals, and alloys of titanium; and the ability to showcase a deposition efficiency of 90%.
Thus, the increasing applications of thermal spray materials and technological advancements in the spraying processes are expected to boost the demand for these materials in future.
