Method of applying a continuous thermoplastic coating with one coating step
AssigneeInternational Fuel Cells Corporation
InventorJames D. Singelyn
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Abstract
A continuous, pinhole-free thermoplastic polymer coating, which may be a fluoroelastomer, is applied to a porous metal surface in a single coating step by spraying the thermoplastic polymer from a thermal spray gun onto a porous metal surface which is at substantially room temperature to form a semi-fused, highly porous coating. The porous metal surface is then heated to fuse the thermoplastic polymer coating into a well-anchored, continuous film. This method permits the application of a continuous thermoplastic polymer coating with one coating step rather than with the plurality of coating steps currently needed to produce a coating with comparable properties.
Claims10
A method of applying a continuous, pinhole free coating of thermoplastic polymer to a porous metal surface in a single coating step comprising spraying all the thermoplastic polymer, in the form of particles, required to produce the coating in a desired thickness from a thermal spray gun at a temperature at which it will only soften the particles passing therethrough such that the particles adhere but do not completely fuse onto a porous metal surface to create a semi-fused, highly porous coating, and heating the porous metal surface onto which the thermoplastic polymer has been sprayed in order to fuse the coating of thermoplastic polymer into a well-anchored, continuous film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.