Patent ID: 8030592

Claim:
An apparatus for spraying a coating material onto a target surface, comprising: a plasma generator operable to supply a plasma stream; a plasma nozzle, including a proximal end operable to receive the plasma stream and a distal end operable to guide the coating material onto a target surface; a heating element adjacent to the plasma nozzle operable to receive a portion of the plasma stream from the plasma generator and further operable to apply heat to a powder material received from a source external to the apparatus in order to form a molten powder material; and an electrophoresis element coupled to the heating element and including at least one pair of electrodes spaced apart and aligned with one another such that the molten powder material passes through the space between the pair of electrodes, the electrophoresis element operable to enhance covalent bonding of a portion of the molten powder material to form a coating material.