The question is fair, and the honest answer is about what the coating is for. Spray is a way to put the right diameter back under a bearing or a seal. It is not a replacement for the metal of the part where that metal carries a pulling or bending load.
How the coating holds on
Sprayed metal bonds mechanically. The base surface is cleaned and roughened, and the droplets of sprayed metal grip the roughness and each other as they pile up in layers. A welded repair, by contrast, fuses to the base metal. That difference in bonding is the reason the two are used for different jobs.
Where spray is the right repair
Spray is a wear-surface repair. The surfaces we rebuild with it are bearing and seal areas on shafts, journals and housings. In every one, the surface has to be the right size and smooth, and the load goes through a bearing, seal or bushing to the base metal under it. The metal spray page covers the process.
The part also gets a lasting advantage: very little heat goes in, so slender shafts and thin parts keep their shape.
When weld or a sleeve is chosen
Where a part has to carry strength across the repair, such as a broken lug or a cracked section, weld build-up fuses to the base metal and is the right choice. Where a seal groove is deep, a sleeve gives a fresh face. The guide on metal spray, sleeve or weld lines the three up in a table, and the repair or replace guide covers when to start over with a new part.
Send photos of the part and tell us what the surface does. We will say which method we would pick and why. Call (775) 359-5570 Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, or attach photos to the quote request.
Sources
- Thermal spraying (Wikipedia) (2026-10-18)
