Tue, 15 July, 2025
There is still time to join our new Joint Industry Project (JIP) investigating cold spray repair as a cost-effective solution across a range of industries.
By joining now, you will gain exclusive access to the research outcomes of the project and be able to advise on use cases to be researched that suit your own industrial needs.
Already gaining interest in industries including oil and gas, aerospace, defence, and nuclear, the cold spray repair process offers a reliable and repeatable, cost-effective repair strategy that ensures components remain in service.
Many assets and structures are forced out of service as a result of relatively minor damage caused by foreign object damage, wear, or corrosion. Replacing these parts for small levels of damage can prove costly, especially where high-value materials have been used.
Not only does cold spray repair have the potential to eliminate the need for costly replacements, asset downtimes, and the need to hold replacement parts in stock, but repairs also reduce the energy used and emissions associated with manufacturing replacement parts.
Cold spray offers a superior solution when compared to current weld or fusion-based repairs for metallic components, which add heat into the materials, altering the underlying microstructure. The introduction of heat can degrade mechanical properties, impart residual stresses, and create unacceptable distortions or fatigue life degradations. These types of repair are also challenging for oxygen sensitive materials such as aluminium and titanium.
An entirely solid-state process, cold spray can be readily used on materials like aluminium and titanium that are prone to oxidation, segregation, or cracking. It delivers well-bonded, dense metallic layers without imparting significant heat, making it an excellent candidate for repairing components and returning them quickly back into service without detrimentally changing the material properties.
Why Join the Project
TWI has been pioneering cold spray research and advancement since 2007, providing us with the necessary technical excellence to investigate a route to repair structures that would have been challenging with conventional methods, while providing enhanced efficiencies for repair processes. The project outcomes will result in potential cost savings, waste reduction, decreased requirements for spares/inventory, and increased uptime of equipment/platforms.
Companies that join the project will not only benefit from exclusive access to this cross-industry research, but will be able to help shape the direction of this research to suit their needs. As such, the project will provide a common framework to help you to make informed decisions about repair options - improving decision-making processes, optimising resource allocation, and saving you the time and costs associated with qualifying and approving new repairs - alongside adaptable document packs tailored to individual needs.
As a joint industry project, the cost of this exclusive research is split between the sponsors, meaning that you get a high return on your investment into the project. The ultimate aim of this project is to qualify the outcomes for industrial use so that those who join can have early, tailored access to a genuine, industry-ready repair solution.
You can find out more and apply to join the project, ‘Improving and Industrialising Cold Spray Repair,’ here.