Robots are finding wide acceptance in plasma, combustion and arc spray applications. They offer improved coating quality, increased productivity, reduced costs and remove the operator from the spray environment. The latter is important since thermal spraying is noisy, bright and produces fumes and dust.
The requirements for thermal spray robots are discussed. A number of robotic spray installations are pictured and described. Some of the robots are commercially available models and others were designed and built specifically for thermal spraying. Integration of the robot into a complete thermal system is emphasized.