Thermal Spray Coatings Market Demands, Trends and Business Outlook 2030

Thermal Spray Coatings Market Growth & Trends

The global thermal spray coatings market size is anticipated to reach USD 15.41 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., growing at a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period. The global market growth is attributed to the developments in aerospace, automotive, industrial gas turbines, oil & gas, steel, printing, and medical applications. The thermal spray coatings provide electrical/thermal conductivity, enhanced wear resistance, lubricity, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance to the machine parts. Most of the machine parts are of high value, whose frequent replacement is uneconomical and leads to high costs for the end-user industries.

Thermal Spray Coatings Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global thermal spray coatings market on the basis of product, application, technology, and region:

Based on the Product Insights, the market is segmented into Metals, Ceramics, Intermetallics, Polymers, Carbides, Abradables, and Others.

• The ceramics product segment dominated the global market with a revenue share of more than 31.5% in 2021. Ceramic coatings have excellent adhesion property which helps them adhere to the surface and provide corrosion protection, thermal barrier, dielectric strength, and sliding wear resistance to the coated materials. Due to the thermal barrier property, ceramicsare often utilized in heat insulation applications to improve the operational efficiency of components in high-temperature environments and extend the service lifespan of components. Abradable materials tend to wear when rubbed against a highly abrasive material while protecting the underlying material and leaving it damage-free.
• It is used for coating gas turbine engines for clearance control, which helps in preventing the change in dimensions that occur due to thermal expansion since the rotating assemblies and blades heat up and cool down during operation. Hence it is used in aviation gas turbines, power generation, and gas and steam turbines as it improves safety and reduces fuel consumption. Abradable material is used for coating shafts, drive collars, labyrinth seals, compressor wheels, compressor impellers, and turbine wheels, which will further fuel its growth in the aerospace, steel, industrial gas turbine, and automotive industries.
• Carbide coatings are used in power, pulp & paper, and the automotive sector components to provide abrasion, adhesion, erosion, and fretting resistance to components. Their high melting point and the ability to maintain strength, hardness, and wear resistance at high temperatures make them suitable for coating gate valves, fixtures, pump housings, and wear plates. Also, carbide-based thermal spray coatings are used for coating components that are highly expensive and would further drive their consumption in the market.

Based on the Application Insights, the market is segmented into Aerospace, Industrial Gas Turbine, Automotive, Medical, Printing, Oil & gas, Steel, Pulp & Paper, Others.

• The aerospace application segment dominated the global market and accounted for the largest revenue share of more than 32.0% in 2021. The parts in an aircraft are prone to degradation owing to particle erosion, hot corrosion, metal-to-metal wear, and fretting. According to a report published by Deloitte in 2021, due to the pandemic-induced impact on customer demand and pricing pressure, many aerospace manufacturers are seeking new aftermarket services revenue opportunities. This is expected to increase the Maintenance, Repair, And Overhaul (MRO) work, which can boost demand for thermal spray coatings in aerospace applications.
• The global focus on decarbonization is increasing due to the rising environmental issues arising from coal-fired power plants. This has driven many companies to work to develop power generation systems to develop alternatives to achieve carbon-free power generation. For instance, in March 2021, Mitsubishi Power, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, commenced the development of a 40-megawatt (MW) class gas turbine that is fueled by 100% ammonia (NH3). Since ammonia does not produce carbon dioxide (CO2), it can push the power generation companies to utilize industrial gas turbines for power generation requirements, simultaneously growing the demand for thermal spray coatings.

Based on the Technology Insights, the market is segmented into Cold Spray, Flame Spray, Plasma Spray, HVOF, Electric Arc Spray, Others.

• The plasma spray technology segment dominated the global market in 2021 and accounted for a revenue share of more than 32.0%. This process provides the advantage of spraying metallic and ceramic materials onto a variety of surfaces with excellent bond strength while minimizing distortion of the substrate on both large and small components offering. It provides electrical conductivity, clearance control, wear resistance, and heat & oxidation resistance to the substrate surface. The plasma thermal spray coatings process is used on printing rolls, gas turbines, industrial diesel engine piston rings, and oil & gas machinery.
• High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) was the subsequent dominating technology in the global market. It is used to restore or improve a component’s properties or geometry, enabling the equipment’s life extension. The advantages of HVOF over other technologies, such as lower porosity due to greater particle impact velocities, higher strength bond to the underlying substrate, lower oxide content, smooth surface, better wear resistance, and improved corrosion resistance drive the segment growth. However, HVOF sprayed coatings can be extremely complex since their properties & microstructure depend upon numerous processing variables. Also, the powder sizes are restricted to about 5 - 60µm, which further limits its application.
• The cold spray technology application is driven by its development to cover other end-use sectors, contributing to its growth. For instance, in April 2020, members of the 28th Maintenance Squadron’s Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Repair Facility conducted a cold spray repair to a B-1B Lancer Forward Equipment Bay (FEB) panel. This type of repair increases aircraft availability at a reduced operational cost through the sustainment of legacy aircraft components and can positively impact the segment growth in the aerospace sector.

Thermal Spray Coatings Regional Outlook

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Central & South America
• Middle East & Africa

Market Share Insights

• March 2020: Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc. signed an agreement with Siemens, under which the former company will provide coating services across all Siemens products. Since Siemens has its presence in the aviation, energy, and other industries, this contract can result in strengthening the market position of Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc.

Key Companies Profile & Market Share Insights

Established players are establishing contracts with major end-user companies to strengthen their market position.

Some of the prominent players operating in the global thermal spray coatings market include,

• Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc.
• Höganäs AB
• C. Starck Inc.
• Castolin Eutectic
• Wall Colmonoy Corp.
• Powder Alloy Corp.
• Saint-Gobain
• Carpenter Technology Corp.
• Fujimi Incorporated
• Durum Verschleiss-Schutz GmbH
• Montreal Carbide Co. Ltd.
• Kennametal Stellite
• Oerlikon Metco
• GTV Verschleißschutz GmbH (GTV Wear Protection GmbH)
• Flame Spray Technologies
• Medicoat AG
• Progressive Surface, Inc.
• TOCALO Co., Ltd.
• American Roller Company, LLC
• Bodycote plc
• Lincoteck Surface Solutions
• John Wood Group PLC
• W. Gartner Thermal Spraying
• Vitta Corporation
• Flame Spray Coating Co.
• Polymet Corporation
• Curtis-Wright Corporation
• Metallisation Ltd
• TST Coatings, Inc.
• Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
• Metallizing Equipment Co. Pvt. Ltd
• TWI Ltd.
• Integrated Global Services
• A&A Thermal Spray Coatings
• Thermion
• Precision Coatings, Inc.
• Cincinnati Thermal Spray, Inc.
• Plasma Technology Incorporated
• HFW Industries, Inc.
• Racine Flame Spray Inc.
• BryCoat Inc.

Order a free sample PDF of the Thermal Spray Coatings Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.