Device for forming coatings on surfaces of a component, band-shaped material, or tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10787733-B2
Application number	US-201515512430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A device for forming coatings on surfaces of a component, band-shaped material, or tool, in which at least one wire-shaped or band-shaped material is used for forming the coating and that is/are connected to a direct electrical current source, wherein an electric arc is formed between wire-shaped materials or between one wire-shaped or band-shaped material and one anode or cathode, wherein wire-shaped or band-shaped material may be fed by means of a feed device; and melted and/or evaporated material of the wire-shaped or band-shaped material flows, by means of a gas jet of a gas or gas mixture, through an inlet into the interior of a chamber that can be heated to a temperature that is at least equal to the evaporation temperature of the at least one material used for the coating or of the material with the highest evaporation temperature, and the material(s) completely evaporates and exits through at least one opening present on the chamber and impinges on the surface to be coated of the component or tool for forming the coating.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for forming coatings on surfaces of a component, band-shaped material, or tool, in which at least one wire-shaped or band-shaped material used for forming the coating forms a cathode and/or an anode that are connected to a direct electrical current source and between which an electric arc is formed, wherein wire-shaped or band-shaped material is fed by means of a feed device; and
melted and/or evaporated material of the wire-shaped or band-shaped material used for forming the coating on said surfaces flows, by means of a gas jet of a gas or gas mixture, through an inlet into the interior of a chamber, said chamber having a wall embodied as in the shape of a cyclone separator, such that the material to be coated should glide within said chamber, as on an air cushion, on the gas and/or vapor stream that flows within said chamber, wherein said chamber is heated to a temperature that is at least equal to the evaporation temperature of the at least one material used for the coating or of the material with the respectively highest evaporation temperature and
the material to be coated on said surfaces completely evaporates and exits through at least one opening present on the chamber and impinges on the surface to be coated of the component or tool for forming the respective coating; and
wherein the chamber is in a cylindrical shape, and wherein a dip tube is co-axial with the chamber and the dip tube has an annual opening at bottom and one center opening at top,
an annular channel is formed between the wall of the chamber and the dip tube, through which evaporated material and material still to be evaporated are guided downward to the bottom annual opening with an extended path within an extended period of time, and then flow upward through the dip tube and exit at top center opening,
wherein the inlet to the chamber is attached such that the wire-shaped or band-shaped material is fed into the annual channel tangentially forming a rotation flow within said annular channel.

2. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the atmosphere in the chamber and on the opening is maintained oxygen-free in the case where no coating containing oxide is to be formed.

3. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that, for reducing the evaporation temperature and/or ensuring freedom from oxygen, the pressure within the chamber is less than the ambient pressure.

4. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the chamber is heated by means of an inductive heating unit formed around the chamber or integrated in the material of the chamber wall.

5. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the gas or gas mixture flows through the heating area of an inductor to heat it.

6. The device according claim 1 , characterized in that a spray head is fabricated from high temperature-resistant ceramic material, and contact elements for the band-shaped and/or wire-shaped material(s) are water-cooled copper elements.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the spray head is fabricated from boron nitride or a mixture of born nitride components and graphite components.

8. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that two band-shaped or wire-shaped materials are formed from at least two different materials and/or a flux-cored wire.

9. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the chamber wall is formed from graphite or graphite combined with a ceramic material.

10. The device according to claim 9 , the ceramic material is boron nitride.

11. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that a plurality of openings are present on a chamber.

12. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that a plurality of arcs are embodied on spray heads within the chamber.

13. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the quantity of wire-shaped or band-shaped material influences the thickness and composition of a coating.

14. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the quantity of material to be evaporated relative to the quantity of the molten material during the arc melting process is may be influenced by influencing the volume flow of the gas jet.

15. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that, for insulating the chamber at temperatures >2000° C., a combination of graphite wool for the chamber wall and aluminum oxide-covered, water-cooled copper inductors is used for an induction heating unit.

16. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that an opening is embodied in the shape of a conically decreasing or enlarged nozzle.

17. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the distance between the surface of a band-shaped material to be coated and the surface of the chamber is adjustable, at least in the area of the opening, by means of the kinetic energy of the outflowing vapor-gas stream.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe Ag

Inventors

• Topalski Slavcho
• Stucky Thomas
• Zwick Axel
• Kratzenberg Klaus

Classifications

• B05B13/0207

  the work being an elongated body, e.g. wire or pipe (B05B13/0436, B05B13/0463 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05B7/10

  producing a swirling discharge · CPC title

• C23C4/08

  containing only metal elements (C23C4/073 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C4/06

  Metallic material · CPC title

• B05B7/224

  the material having originally the shape of a wire, rod or the like · CPC title