8. Conclusion and outlook

Since the 1960s, the thermal spray market has grown by around 10% a year, mainly thanks to process development. Flame spraying, which accounted for 70% of applications in 1960, now covers just 12% of the market. In recent years, electric arc spraying has enjoyed a renaissance, thanks to advances in equipment and materials (cored wires), and hypersonic spraying has also gained ground.

Thermal spraying, excluding corrosion, has long been used in high-tech sectors such as aeronautics and nuclear power. Today, thermal spraying is also used in other sectors, such as :

• automotive, with developments in catalytic converters, or the replacement of liners on aluminum alloy engine blocks;

• energy with the production of ceramic solid electrolyte fuel cells;

• mechanical...