Apparatus and method for cold spraying and coating processing

A method of applying a coating to a substrate, comprising the steps of:

• providing a nozzle element for applying powder material to a substrate;
• spraying the powdered material from said nozzle element at a velocity less than the speed of sound onto the substrate thereby generating a coating of the powder material defined by a first film thickness and a first internal grain size of the particles comprising the powder material;
• providing a temperature control nozzle for delivering a stream of temperature control gas to the coating circumscribing a powder spray pattern generated by said nozzle element thereby controlling a temperature and spray pattern of the coating;
• providing a deformation nozzle element for spraying shot at a velocity sufficient to plastically deform the particles of powder material disposed upon the substrate;
• spraying shot from the deformation nozzle toward the coating of powder material disposed upon the substrate;
• and
• plastically deforming particles of the powder material disposed in the coating forming a second internal grain size of the particles being less than the first grain size by nano-crystallizing the particles disposed in the coating following application of the powder coating onto the substrate.