# US 2019/0376172 A1 · Precision air flow routing devices and method for thermal spray coating applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0376172 A1 - Document ID: US20190376172A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/548,924 - Filed: 2019-08-23 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-14 - Assignees: Ford Motor Company - Applicants: Ford Motor Company - Inventors: Michael J. Habel; Michael Dennis Mucci; Ted A. Settimo; Timothy George Beyer; Keith Alan Larson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190376172A1 ## CPC - C23C 4/134: Plasma spraying - B05B 5/12: specially adapted for coating the interior of hollow bodies - B05B 7/16: incorporating means for heating {or cooling} the material to be sprayed {(spraying by means of explosions B05B7/0006)} - B05C 11/06: with a blast of gas or vapour - C23C 4/131: Wire arc spraying - F02F 1/004: {Cylinder liners (F02F1/08, F02F1/16 take precedence)} - F02F 1/00: Cylinders; Cylinder heads - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) - F02F: CYLINDERS, PISTONS OR CASINGS, FOR COMBUSTION ENGINES; ARRANGEMENTS OF SEALINGS IN COMBUSTION ENGINES ## Abstract A method of controlling deposition of material from at least one plasma transferred wire arc (PTWA) torch within at least one bore includes: directing a fluid through a duct; and directing the fluid through a number of cannons N disposed adjacent and downstream from the duct. The fluid is directed through the duct and N cannons and past the PTWA torch while the PTWA torch is spraying downstream from N−1 cannons. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling deposition of material from at least one plasma transferred wire arc (PTWA) torch within at least one bore comprising: directing a fluid through a duct; and directing the fluid through a number of cannons N disposed adjacent and downstream from the duct, wherein the fluid is directed through the duct and N cannons and past the PTWA torch while the PTWA torch is spraying downstream from N−1 cannons. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a gas consisting of air. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of directing the fluid through the duct comprises directing the fluid through a plurality of fluid passageways separated by cross-members in the duct. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 further comprising moving the duct and cannons to a standby position while positioning a second duct and a second number of cannons N′ to an active position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the moving is one of a rotational and translational movement. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the flow of fluid is drawn from the duct and the cannons through a number of bores defined by “B” while the PTWA torch is spraying in a number of bores defined by B−1. ### Claim 7 A method of controlling deposition of material from at least one plasma spraying torch comprising the steps of: directing a fluid through a duct; and directing the fluid through a number of cannons N disposed adjacent and downstream from the duct, wherein the fluid is directed through the duct and the cannons and past the torch while the torch is spraying a surface downstream from N−1 cannons. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the fluid is a gas consisting of air. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7 further comprising moving the duct and the cannons to a standby position while positioning a second duct and second cannons to an active position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of directing the fluid through the duct comprises directing the fluid through a plurality of fluid passageways separated by cross-members in the duct. ### Claim 11 A method of applying a coating on a surface of a bore, comprising: applying, by a torch, the coating on the surface of the bore; directing a fluid through a duct; and directing the fluid through a plurality of cannons disposed adjacent and downstream from the duct; wherein the fluid is simultaneously directed through the duct and all of the plurality of cannons to the bore toward the coating when the torch is applying the coating on the surface of the bore. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising dividing the fluid into a plurality of flows by the duct outside the bore. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of flows divided by the duct are directed into the plurality of cannons. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein only one of the plurality of cannons is inserted into the bore. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of directing the fluid through the duct comprises directing the fluid through a plurality of passageways separated by cross-members in the duct. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, further comprising directing the fluid through the plurality of cannons into a plurality of bores after the fluid is divided by the plurality of fluid passageways, wherein the bore is one of the plurality of bores. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of passageways correspond to the plurality of cannons. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising rotating the plurality of cannons to position the plurality of cannons relative to the torch. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising inserting the torch from one of the opposing ends of the bore, and inserting one of the plurality of cannons from the other one of the opposing ends of the bore. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the bore is one of a plurality of bores in an engine block, the method further comprises: spraying the coating on a surface of N−1 bores; directing the fluid through N cannons.