Material consumed by the gun to make the coating. Plasma, HVOF and cold spray mostly use powder, arc spray uses solid or cored wire, and flame spray takes powder, wire, ceramic rod or flexible cord. Feedstock chemistry, particle size, shape and manufacturing method all change how the coating forms, so qualified processes lock in a specific product, and a change of supplier usually means requalification.
New lot of feedstock came in with a different cert, don't open it until engineering signs off.
Also heard as
- spray material
- consumable
- powder
Related terms
Agglomerated and sintered
Describes powder made by spray drying fine particles into balls, then sintering them to give them strength.
Fused and crushed
Describes powder made by melting material into an ingot, then crushing and screening it to size.
Cut
Shop word for a powder's particle size range, such as minus 45 plus 15 micrometers.
Cored wire
A metal sheath filled with powder, used in arc spray to spray alloys and carbides not made as solid wire.