Patent ID: 7644872

Claim:
A powder port blow-off system for a plasma spray process, the powder port blow-off system comprising: a faceplate comprising: a plasma receiving bore that co-axially aligns with a plasma plume-emitting nozzle of a plasma spray gun; and at least one powder feed port for injecting a flow of powder particles perpendicularly into the plasma plume; and at least one powder port blow-off nozzle mounted to the faceplate to be co-planar with the powder feed port to direct a flow of blow-off air obliquely across the powder feed port and tangent to the plasma plume to create a helical vortex surrounding the plasma plume that travels from the faceplate axially along a length of the plasma plume and radially out from the plasma plume to carry away powder particles unconsumed by the plasma plume.