Study of Low-Pressure Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing: Investigation of Kinematic Spray Parameters on Deposition and Properties

Low-pressure cold spray (LPCS) has broadened the application field of cold spray owing to its portability and low cost. For additive manufacturing (AM) based on LPCS (LPCSAM), it is important to investigate the effects of parameters such as temperature and pressure of the gas, stand-off distance, gun traverse speed, and the number of scanning passes of the gun on the deposition and properties. This study aims to determine the optimal kinematic spray parameters for spraying Cu+Al2O3 powder onto an aluminum substrate through LPCS, so as to prepare for the next AM work. The deposition mass, deposition rate, microhardness, and roughness under different spraying conditions were studied. The best spraying effect, with a high deposition rate and without nozzle clogging, was obtained at a nitrogen pressure of 0.9 MPa and a temperature of 400°C.