Patent ID: 8481120

Claim:
A process for coating a substrate, comprising: (i) evaporating, via an evaporator, a metal alloy bath comprising at least two metallic elements, (ii) spraying the substrate, at a sonic velocity, with a vapor comprising said at least two metallic elements in a constant and predetermined relative content, and (iii) continuously depositing a metal alloy layer comprising said at least two metallic elements on said substrate by a vacuum deposition facility comprising a vapor jet coater carrying out (ii), wherein the evaporator consists of an evaporation crucible comprising an induction heater, an initial content of the bath is kept constant during the deposition, the composition of the metal alloy bath is homogeneous and kept constant at all points in the bath, said metal alloy layer consists essentially of a Zn 2 Mg phase and has a magnesium content between 4% and 18% by weight, and said metal alloy bath has a magnesium content between 30% and 50% by weight.