SBIR Phase I: Sensing and Control System for High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) Deposited Nanocomposite Coatings

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发一种系统来表征高速氧气燃料(HVOF)涂层过程，从而减少涂层变化。材料工程领域的最新创新已经产生了在应力、密度和硬度方面具有优异耐磨保护性能的涂层。然而，涂层工艺的变化限制了工艺能力并减缓了工艺发展。这一新系统将在涂层沉积之前检测到工艺变化并进行补偿，并通过快速确定新的工艺操作点来简化开发。第一阶段项目将侧重于发展感知过程变化的能力，并确定补偿这种变化的方法。该传感器将建立在已经为等离子喷涂工艺开发的技术基础上，该技术能够以令生产涂料车间满意的速度快速表征工艺。新系统将专门为支持最新开发的纳米复合粉末涂层而开发，对这些涂层来说，快速的工艺开发和一致的应用非常有价值。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将在15亿美元的HVOF涂层市场实现，该市场在2007年OSHA法规限制工人接触六价铬后快速增长。HVOF已被证实是对环境有害的硬铬工艺的主要替代品，最大的应用是飞机起落架的耐磨涂层，但替代应用包括工业设备的耐磨和腐蚀涂层以及医疗设备的生物兼容涂层。新的纳米复合粉末正在改善这些涂层的性能，超出了它们目前的能力，但目前在HVOF工艺中的变化水平对于可靠地实现这种性能是不可接受的。HVOF涂层的客户坚持要求涂层供应商安装传感器，但可用的传感器很难使用，而且它们提供的信息并不总是与相关涂层特性相关。该项目的传感和控制系统通过提供易于使用的传感器和使用传感器数据的半自动方式来填补这一空白。预计这个控制系统将捕获大量喷雾器，这些喷雾器需要改进工艺，但对现有的设备和方法感到沮丧。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a system to characterize the high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) coating process that will enable reduction of coating variation. Recent innovations in materials engineering have resulted superior coatings for wear protection in terms of stress, density, and hardness. However, variation in the coating process has limited process capability and slowed process development. This new system will detect process variation and compensate for it before coatings are deposited and streamline development by quickly characterizing new process operating points. The Phase I project will focus on developing the capability to sense process variation and identify methods for compensating for this variation. The sensor will build on technology already developed for the plasma spray coating process which enables rapid characterization of the process at speeds satisfactory for production coating shops. The new system will be specifically developed to support coatings of recently developed nanocomposite powders, for which rapid process development and consistent application are extremely valuable.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be realized in the $1.5 billion HVOF coating market, which is growing rapidly after 2007 OSHA regulations limited worker exposure to hexavalent chromium. HVOF has been validated as the primary replacement for the environmentally hazardous hard-chrome process and the largest applications are wear coatings for aircraft landing gear, but alternative applications include wear and corrosion coatings for industrial equipment and biocompatible coatings for medical devices. New nanocomposite powders are improving performance of these coatings beyond their current capabilities but the current levels of variation in the HVOF process are unacceptable for reliably achieving this performance. Customers for HVOF coatings have insisted that coating suppliers implement sensors, but the available sensors are difficult to use and the information that they provide does not always correlate to the relevant coating characteristics. This project's sensing and control system fills that gap by providing both an easy to use sensor and a semi-automatic way to use the sensor data. It is anticipated that this control system will capture the significant number of sprayers who are required to make process improvements, but are frustrated with the available equipment and methodologies.