The technology of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is widely used for industrial applications. The coatings produced by APS generally show defects. The work was conducted to investigate and develop a new method to ensure both an effective cooling during the APS process and the adaptation of the surface condition in order to develop high quality coatings. This solution is dry ice (CO2) blasting in combination with thermal spraying. Firstly, numerical simulations were carried out, which revealed that the nozzle size of dry ice blasting, the propellant pressure and the properties of CO2 pellets, significantly affect the velocity of CO2 pellets. From these elements, the optimal dimensions were evaluated. To examine the effects of dry ice blasting on the coatings produced by thermal spraying, several types of materials were considered, three metals (steel, CoNiCrAlY and pure aluminum) and three ceramics (Al2O3, Cr2O3 and ZrO2-Y2O3). The microstructure of metal coatings produced with dry ice blasting show fewer oxides and less porosity compared to those deposited by conventional APS. In some cases the adhesion can be improved. Regarding ceramic coatings, a reduction in porosity and a significant improvement in the coating adhesion were observed. For the deposition of ZrO2-Y2O3, an improvement in thermal shock resistance was achieved using specific parameters. Dry-ice blasting may slightly impact the surface of the substrates with low hardness and could clean the surface pollutions on the substrate and lead to a higher compressive stress and an effective cooling. However, it is noted that the problem of the condensation of water vapor can occur in case of intense cooling of the substrate.
