iTSSe TSS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 39 iTSSe TSS Over the past decade, cold spray additive manufac- turing (CSAM) has transitioned from a promising repair technology into a viable industrial solution for restoring high-value components across aerospace, defense, and heavy industry. While earlier work has estab- lished the fundamentals and advantages of cold spray for material restoration, recent developments are now redefining how the technology is deployed in practice. This article builds upon prior published work by examining the next stage in the evolution of cold spray repair—from standalone manual and pre-programmed robotic processes toward integrated, digitally assisted repair methodologies. Emphasis is placed on portability, in-situ application, and emerging scan-to-repair approaches that improve consistency, reduce downtime, and expand the range of repairable geometries. COLD SPRAY REPAIR: A PROVEN FOUNDATION Cold spray is a solid-state metal consolidation process that uses a high-speed gas jet to propel metal and other powder particles against a substrate, where particles deform A NEW LEVEL FOR SUCCESSFUL DIMENSIONAL RESTORATION BY COLD SPRAY A novel scan-to-repair approach reduces setup time, improves consistency, and increases flexibility for robotic cold spray restoration. Julio Villafuerte, FASM,* CenterLine Windsor Ltd., Ontario, Canada Alejandro Vargas-Uscategui,* Hans Lohr, and Peter King,* CSIRO, Clayton, Australia at high strain rates and consolidate upon impact. The relatively low process temperature—well below the melting point of both the powder and substrate—enables deposition without significant thermal degradation. Cold spray has been commercially used for more than 15 years in aviation and other industries to salvage high- value components that would otherwise be scrapped. Across aerospace, energy, mining, transportation, and heavy industries, it has demonstrated the ability to restore dimensional tolerances and functional properties while preserving the base material’s original characteristics. *Member of ASM International FEATURE A Smart Repair cell. Fig. 1 — Top: Manual cold spray booth. Bottom: 7-axis robotic cold spray booth. Courtesy of SST CenterLine.
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