Abstract: The invention is an electron-beam vaporization installation for coating structural components made of extreme-heat-resistant alloys (super alloys), especially turbine blades, with so-called thermal barrier coatings. The invention divides the continuous process principle for this coating task with extreme thermal stress for the substrata. The invention divides the thermally high stressed chambers by a partition with a slot. As a result of this the heating chamber and the coating chamber are thermally decoupled from the room for the transport system of the substrata carriage. A further characteristic of the invention is that the carriage for the transport of the substrata through the installation is cooled. For this purpose at the specific work positions the cooling system of the carriage is coupled with the exterior cooling circuits by a leakproof coupling system. The movement of the substrata is done hydraulically and is coupled with the exterior hydraulic circuits in a similar manner as the cooling system.

Abstract: Structural components (2), such as turbine blades (16) partially to be coated, for example with precious metal coatings, are inserted into a circumferential pocket on a carrier wheel (8), so that surface areas (10, 10A) protruding radially outwardly are presented for a coating operation, for example by vapor deposition, gas diffusion, plasma spraying, or sputtering, while surface portions (9) of the components within the wheel are protected against coating by wheel disks (8A, 8B). The wheel is rotated either continuously or stepwise through an active coating chamber (3). Surfaces to be coated participate in forming first and second walls for enclosing a coating space (11). Other walls of the space (11) are formed by one or two coating sources (12, 13), such as cathode sputterers, whereby the need for screens or masks (4, 14) that form the remaining walls of the space (11) are minimized. The bottom (59) of the space (11) is preferably formed by wall portions (4A) of the turbine blades (16).