In arc wire spraying a wire spray gun uses oxygen and acetylene to produce a flame through which metal wire is fed.
The resultant molten metal is atomised by the jet and then sprayed on to the component surface to form the coating.
Arc wire spraying can be used to apply a number of different metals and their alloys.
For example most alloys can be sprayed including:
- Stainless steels of various types, Carbon steels, Hastelloys and cored wires (various)
- Anti-corrosive wires including:
- Aluminium. Zinc, Monel, Copper, Aluminium bronze and Phosphor bronze
The benefit of arc wire spraying is that it is usually a lower cost alternative to the plasma spray process for applying metals.
It is generally capable of applying thicker coatings than plasma. However the range of available materials that can be sprayed is far smaller than the range available for plasma.