Nottingham Uni launches advanced cold spray system for additive manufacturing
The UK facility will enable the repair and remanufacture of metal components in aerospace, fusion energy, nuclear and defence sectors.
It is intended to act as national hub for industry and research partners, reports the University of Nottingham, UK, and will support advanced manufacturing research.
Cold spraying involves firing fine metal powders at very high speeds onto a surface to build or repair metal components. When this happens, the material does not melt during deposition, avoiding heat damage and preserving the material’s original properties in the process.
The university reports a recent innovation in which engineers developed a new high-performance tungsten-copper metallic coating in one step using plasma spray, for future high heat flux plasma facing components specifically in the divertor target plate.
