Magnetically controlled deposition of metals using gas plasma. Quarterly progress report, January 1997--March 1997

Thin layers of secondary material are plated on substrates either by plating or spraying processes. Plating operations produce large amounts of hazardous liquid waste. Spraying, while one of the less waste intensive methods, produces {open_quotes}over spray,{close_quotes} or waste that is a result of uncontrolled nature of the spray stream. In many cases the over spray may produce a hazardous waste, requiring special processing. Spray coating is a mature process with many uses. Material can be deposited utilizing spraying technology in three basic ways: {open_quotes}Flame spraying{close_quotes}, direct spraying of molten metals and/or plasma spraying. This project is directed at controlling the plasma spraying process and thereby minimizing the waste generated in that process. The proposed process will utilize a standard plasma spray gun with the addition of magnetic fields to focus and control the plasma. In order to keep development cost at a minimum, the project was organized in phases. The first and current phase involves developing an analytical model that will prove the concept and be used to design a prototype. Analyzing the process and using the analysis has the potential to generate significant hardware cost savings