Share of the feedstock, by weight, that sticks to the part instead of ending up in the dust collector. It is measured by weighing a flat plate or tube before and after spraying at a known feed rate for a known time. Values vary widely, from roughly 30 percent for some plasma ceramics to 70 percent or more for arc-sprayed metals. A falling DE is an early warning of hardware wear, wrong injection or a drifting standoff, and it directly drives powder cost.
Deposition efficiency on the carbide fell from 55 to 42 since Monday, check the nozzle before we burn more powder.
Measure DE on a flat plate of known size at the start of a big job; it turns a suspicious powder bill into a number you can argue about.
Also heard as
- DE
- deposit efficiency
Related terms
Spray rate
How much feedstock goes through the gun per unit time, usually in grams per minute or pounds per hour.
Standoff distance
The distance from the gun exit to the surface being sprayed, which sets how hot and fast particles arrive.
Critical velocity
The minimum impact speed a cold spray particle needs to stick to the surface instead of bouncing off.
Unmelts
Lab shorthand for particles that hit the surface without fully melting and kept their round shape.