Coatings of aluminum and zinc were applied on two thermoplastic materials, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), using twin wire-arc spray spraying. Samples were either smooth (R_a = 0.2 μm) or roughened by grit blasting (R_a = 1.6 μm). Before the start of spraying samples were kept at either room temperature or preheated to 55 °C for PE and 95 °C for PTFE, so that the peak temperature during spraying reached the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Surface temperature was monitored during spraying using thermocouples. Coating adhesion strength was measured using pull tests. Single splats of metal on samples were examined using SEM images. Zinc coatings, about 260 ± 20 μm thick, formed on both polymer samples irrespective of their surface roughness. Adhesion strength was significantly higher on rough surfaces than smooth surfaces. Increasing the initial sample temperature also enhanced adhesion strength. Aluminum adhered only to the PTFE but not the PE. Aluminum droplets have a higher melting point than zinc and melted the sample upon impact, inhibiting mechanical bonding. These results suggest that the metal adhesion to thermoplastics can be significantly improved by pre-heating polymer samples prior to thermal spraying.

使用双丝电弧喷涂，将铝和锌涂层涂覆在两种热塑性材料上，即超高分子量聚乙烯（PE）和聚四氟乙烯（PTFE）。样品是光滑的（R _a  = 0.2μm）或通过喷砂处理而粗糙化（R _a = 1.6微米）。在开始喷涂之前，将样品保持在室温下或将PE预热至55°C，将PTFE预热至95°C，以使喷涂过程中的峰值温度达到聚合物的玻璃化转变温度。在喷涂过程中使用热电偶监测表面温度。使用拉力试验测量涂层的粘合强度。使用SEM图像检查样品上的单个金属片。两种聚合物样品上均形成约260±20μm厚的锌涂层，而不论其表面粗糙度如何。粗糙表面的粘合强度明显高于光滑表面。升高初始样品温度也提高了粘合强度。铝仅粘附在PTFE上，而不粘附在PE上。铝滴的熔点高于锌，并且在撞击时会熔化样品，抑制机械结合。这些结果表明，通过在热喷涂之前预热聚合物样品，可以显着改善金属对热塑性塑料的粘附性。