Additive manufacturing is a scalable and cost-effective solution to issues faced by traditional manufacturing methods. Cold spray technology provides a novel avenue in the field of additive manufacturing by removing the traditional issues faced with a heated substrate. In this study, various improvements and additions are implemented on a preexisting cold spray system for its optimized use in the search for next generation lithium ion batteries. Improvements to physical aspects of the system allow for a greater spray area while improvements to the electrical systems and software increase efficiency. Additions to the physical aspects of the system allow for full automation and additive manufacturing capabilities while electrical and software additions improve user safety and create a closed loop system. Several depositions of 30 μm aluminum powder on a copper substrate were executed, and the deposition with the highest efficiency was subjected to further analysis. Analysis via optical microscopy proves that successful deposition occurred with definitive boundary lines. SEM analysis illustrates a deposition depth of 9.3 μm and EDS investigation shows a distinct and dense layer of aluminum coating on the copper substrate. The effect of velocity of substrate motion and deposition temperature are also studied. Results show that decreased speed and increased temperature lead to higher deposition rates. Future work in terms of system parameterization and physical upgrades is necessary to further improve the accuracy and reliability of the cold spray system.
