Walk past any number of industrial buildings made from steel, and you’ll notice that their structures don’t look like bare metal. There’s a reason for this; exposed metal is a magnet for corrosion, especially in the damp environments so typical of this country.
One way that engineers protect these surfaces is through a process known as cladding spraying, which adds a protective layer, without having to replace the underlying structural material.
The Basics
Basically, cladding spraying is a method of applying a coating onto the surface of a component, using a thermal spray technique. Instead of painting on a liquid, or dipping an entire detached part in liquid material, the process uses heat to melt a coating material, then sprays it onto the surface in tiny particles. As those particles hit, they flatten, cool, and bond to form a solid, protective layer.
This isn’t just a quick fix that will last for a month or two. Done correctly, cladding spraying can restore worn parts, extend equipment life, and protect against wear, corrosion, or extreme temperatures. Industries that can’t afford substantial downtime while a whole building is rebuilt, rely on these kinds of processes heavily.
Why Not Just Start From Scratch?
That’s a fair question. Replacing a damaged or corroded part might seem simpler, but it’s often impractical and incredibly expensive. For example, having to take all the stock you have stored in a warehouse to a different location, just to replace a few sections of the roof, can end up being incredibly logistically complex and very expensive.
Cladding spraying from providers like ACS Coatings allows for on-site repairs and upgrades, at a massively reduced cost. A damaged pump shaft building, for example, can be rebuilt to its original dimensions with a sprayed coating, avoiding the need to source, transport and fit a brand-new one. This approach also reduces material waste, which is a subtle but important environmental benefit.
Different Kinds of Cladding Spraying
There’s no single version of cladding spraying. The process can be adapted depending on the demands of the building in question, with options including:
- Flame spraying – one of the oldest methods, using flame to melt the coating material before spraying.
- Arc spraying – uses an electric arc to melt two elements, then sprays the molten droplets onto the surface.
- Plasma spraying – this uses a high-temperature plasma jet for melting, ideal for ceramics or certain metals.
Each method has a range of benefits and drawbacks, and it’s important to choose one that suits your specific needs.
Common Uses
Cladding spraying turns up in a wide range of different places. Essentially, it can be used wherever there’s a building that’s exposed to the elements; that could be a warehouse in an urban location, a storefront in a shopping complex, or a storage facility in the depths of the countryside.
Cladding provides a handy option that allows you to choose between replacing and repairing the external surfaces of your business premises, offering a tailored layer of protection exactly where it’s needed. Whether you’re already facing issues, or just want to extend the longevity of your building to avoid problems in the future, it’s well worth looking into.