EP0487272A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thermal spray powders, their production and their use
Assignee: Sulzer Plasma Technik Inc
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Filing: 1991-11-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-11-15
Abstract
Abstract A method of forming a binder-free agglomerated powder, which comprises: placing first and second materials in a drum (28) of a mechanical agglomerator, the drum having a continuous curved inner wall (34) and the mechanical agglomerator having impact means (50) disposed in the drum adjacent the drum inner wall and means (32) for providing relative movement between the impact means (50) and the drum inner wall (34); processing the first and second materials in the mechanical agglomerator by centrifugally forcing the first and second materials between the impact means (50) and the drum inner wall (34) such that forces of shear and compression cause the first and second materials to agglomerate to form agglomerated particles which are composites of the first and second materials; and classifying the agglomerated particles to form a thermal spray powder fraction. A thermal spray powder, which comprises mechanically agglomerated particles having a first component and a second component, substantially all of the particles ranging in size from about 0.5 µm to about 177 µm and the powder having an average particle size of from about 44 µm to about 150 µm. A method of forming a thermal spray coating, which comprises providing a thermal spray powder fabricated by mechanical agglomeration in a drum having an impact member; and thermal spraying said powder onto a target to form a coating.
Inventors
- 👤 Subramaniam Rangaswamy
- 👤 Robert Alvin Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 04:34
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C4/00; C23C4/04; C23C4/06; C23C4/08; C22; C22C; C22C1/00; C22C1/10; C22C1/1084; B; B22; B22F; B22F9/00; B22F9/02; B22F9/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A method of forming a binder-free agglomerated powder, which comprises: placing first and second materials in a drum of a mechanical agglomerator, the drum having a continuous curved inner wall and the mechanical agglomerator having impact means disposed in the drum adjacent the drum inner wall and means for providing relative movement between the impact means and the drum inner wall; processing the first and second materials in the mechanical agglomerator by centrifugally forcing the first and second materials between the impact means and the drum inner wall such that forces of shear and compression cause the first and second materials to agglomerate to form agglomerated particles which are composites of the first and second materials; and classifying the agglomerated particles to form a thermal spray powder fraction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the first material is a first metal selected from elemental metals and alloys thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 2, wherein the first material is a metal selected from Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Cr, Al, Ti and alloys thereof.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
25 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second material is a second metal selected from elemental metal and alloys thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein the second material is a metal selected from Al, Ti, Ta, Mo, Si, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y, Hf, Co, Ni, Fe, and alloys thereof.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
17 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second material is a ceramic.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein the ceramic is selected from oxides, carbides, borides, silicides, silicates, phosphates, spinels, titanates, perovskites, forms of carbon and combinations thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 7, wherein the ceramic is selected from phosphates of calcium, oxides, spinels, titanates, perovskites and combinations thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the oxides are selected from fully or partially stabilized zirconia and aluminium oxides.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein the ceramic is a machineable ceramic.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein the ceramic is a hydroxylapatite.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
21 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein there is also added to the drum a third material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method according to claim 12, wherein the third material is a plastic.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 13, wherein the plastic is selected from polyimides, polyesters, PEEK, PEK, and liquid crystal polymers.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
82 words
A method according to any of claims 1 to 14, wherein (a) the first material is a powder having an average particle size of from about 44 µm to about 100 µm; and/or (b) the second material is a powder having an average particle size of from about 1 µm to about 20 µm; and/or (c) the third material, if present, is a plastic which is a powder having an average particle size of from about 44 µm to about 100 µm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
66 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein (a) the first material is a plastic and the second material is a ceramic; or (b) the first material is a metal and the second material is a plastic; or (c) the first material is a ceramic and the second material is a plastic; or (d) the first material is a plastic and the second material is a metal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
50 words
A thermal spray powder, which comprises mechanically agglomerated particles having a first component and a second component, substantially all of the particles ranging in size from about 0.5 µm to about 177 µm and the powder having an average particle size of from about 44 µm to about 150 µm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
A powder according to claim 17, wherein (a) the first component is a first material as defined in claim 2 or 3; and/or (b) the second component is a second material as defined in any of claims 4 to 11.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
A powder according to claim 17 or 18, wherein there is also present a third component.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
A powder according to claim 19, wherein the third component is a third material as defined in claim 13 or 14.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
A powder according to claim 17, wherein the first component and/or second component and/or (if present) third component is/are the first, second and third materials, respectively, as defined in claim 16.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
38 words
A method of forming a thermal spray coating, which comprises providing a thermal spray powder fabricated by mechanical agglomeration in a drum having an impact member; and thermal spraying said powder onto a target to form a coating.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the thermal spray powder is fabricated by a method as defined in any of claims 1 to 16.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of forming a coating on a bio-implant, which comprises: providing a bio-implant; placing first and second materials in a drum of a mechanical agglomerator, the drum having a continuous curved inner wall and the mechanical agglomerator having impact means disposed in the drum adjacent the drum inner wall and means for providing relative movement between the impact means and the drum inner wall; processing the first and second materials in the mechanical agglomerator by centrifugally forcing the first and second materials between the impact means and the drum inner wall such that forces of shear and compression cause the first and second materials to agglomerate to form agglomerated particles which are composites of the first and second materials; classifying the agglomerated particles to form a thermal spray powder fraction; and thermal spraying the powder with a thermal spray gun to form a coating on the bio-implant.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 24, wherein the thermal spray powder is obtained by a method as defined in any of claims 1 to 16.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 24, wherein the first material is a titanium alloy and the second material is hydroxylapatite.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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