Design System of High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) Thermal Spray Coating Based on Computerization

摘要

Wear and corrosion are problems prevalent in the industrialized world. One way to overcome this matter is the process of coating with a thermal spray. The coating process is categorized into two processes based on the heat source, i.e., chemical combustion reaction and electric heating. One example for a combustion process is the high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF). The HVOF system which is operated manually has been studied in previous works. The computerized HVOF system is developed and manufactured in this study to improve reproducibility of coatings and safety of an operator. The ATMegal 6 microcontroller was connected with several sensors (an oxygen mass'flow controller, a nitrogen mass flow controller, a propane mass flow controller, and a pressure sensor), and the Visual Studio.Net 2013 was used to create a graphic user interface (GUI). Based on test results obtained, it was found that the GUI successfully communicated using serial communication and could access the input/output (I/O) required by the microcontroller. Combinaton of gas mass flow controllers and pressure sensors resulted in precise control of the oxy-fuel combustion process.