Centre de Projecció Tèrmica

What Centre de Projecció Tèrmica does

Centre de Projecció Tèrmica (CPT), also known as the Thermal Spray Center, is a surface engineering research center of the Universitat de Barcelona established in 1994 and operated through Fundació Bosch i Gimpera. Headquartered at the Faculty of Chemistry's Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering in Barcelona, CPT employs a multidisciplinary team of 25 experienced researchers led by Director Irene Garcia Cano and General Manager Josep Maria Guilemany. The center specializes in thermal spray coating technologies including Cold Gas Spray (CGS), Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS), and High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF), along with the proprietary "Metal Knitting" deposition strategy for Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) that enables vertical sidewalls and complex part geometries.

CPT's technology portfolio extends to specialized coatings including bioactive glass and Bioglass/PEEK composites for orthopedic implants, high-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings via cold spray and HVOF, antimicrobial copper coatings, and PVD coatings for high-temperature petrochemical service. The center holds TECNIO Technology Developer accreditation from ACCIÓ (Generalitat de Catalunya) and has produced 100+ peer-reviewed publications in JTST, Coatings, Surface & Coatings Technology, and Metals.

CPT's business model is grant-driven and collaborative rather than commercial product sales. Revenue streams consist of public research funding from Spanish ministries, Generalitat de Catalunya, and European framework programs, plus fee-based industry research collaborations with manufacturers (e.g., MAV Cluster, URD, TMComas) and technology transfer agreements through the university's innovation office. No commercial pricing is publicly disclosed. The center serves four primary verticals: industrial manufacturing (wear/corrosion coatings, additive manufacturing), medical devices (bioactive and antimicrobial coatings for implants), energy (PEM electrolyzer components for green hydrogen, offshore wind), and aerospace (high-temperature coatings). The customer acquisition motion relies on academic channels — conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and cluster/association networks — rather than direct sales.

Name

Centre de Projecció Tèrmica

Legal name

Centre de Projecció Tèrmica (CPT)

Website

https://cptub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

University of Barcelona research center established in 1994 specializing in thermal spray coating technology and surface engineering, including proprietary Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing via Metal Knitting. Serves industrial manufacturing, medical devices, energy, and aerospace sectors through grant-funded research collaborations and technology transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: Funded through government research programs, European projects, and institutional funding from Universitat de Barcelona and Generalitat de Catalunya (TECNIO accreditation).
2. Industry Research Collaborations: Collaborative research projects with industrial partners including MAV Cluster companies, technology development for specific industrial applications.
3. Technology Transfer Services: Transfer of thermal spray technologies and expertise to industrial partners, including consulting and technical services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centre de Projecció Tèrmica (CPT) is a university research center that provides thermal spray coating services and applied surface engineering research to industrial partners. Its offerings span Cold Gas Spray (CGS), Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS), High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF), and Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM), including the proprietary Metal Knitting deposition strategy, along with specialized coatings such as bioactive glass and high-entropy alloy coatings for medical, energy, and industrial manufacturing clients.

Product overview

Centre de Projecció Tèrmica (CPT) is a research center of Universitat de Barcelona specializing since 1994 in surface engineering and thermal spray technology. The center offers a comprehensive portfolio of thermal spray coating services and research solutions, including Cold Gas Spray (CGS), Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) with the innovative 'Metal Knitting' strategy, Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS), and High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) coatings. CPT's specialized offerings include bioactive glass coatings for medical implants, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) coatings, antimicrobial copper coatings, Bioglass/PEEK composites for orthopedics, and PVD coatings. The center also provides educational programs through its CGS Summer School. As a TECNIO-accredited technology developer, CPT collaborates with industry partners to develop high-impact and wear-resistant coatings for various industrial sectors including healthcare, energy, and manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cold Gas Spray (CGS) Technology Services Thermal spray coating service using the Cold Gas Spray process to deposit metallic, ceramic, and composite coatings onto various substrates for industrial applications.
• Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) Services Additive manufacturing services using Cold Gas Spray technology to produce metallic parts and components, including the Metal Knitting deposition strategy for complex geometries and vertical sidewalls.
• Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS) Services Thermal spray coating service using atmospheric plasma to deposit ceramic, metallic, and bioactive glass coatings.
• High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) Coating Services Thermal spray coating service using the HVOF process to deposit hard, wear-resistant coatings including WC-Co and high-entropy alloy coatings.
• Metal Knitting CSAM Service Proprietary deposition strategy for Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing that enables controlled morphology with vertical sidewalls and improved geometrical accuracy, producing parts from thin walls (less than 5mm) to large bulks.
• Bioactive Glass Coatings for Medical Implants Specialized coatings for orthopedic and biomedical implants using thermal spray techniques, combining bioactive glass materials with substrates for improved bone-implant interaction.
• Bioglass/PEEK Composite Coatings for Orthopedic Implants Composite coatings combining 45S5 bioactive glass with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for orthopedic implant applications using cold gas spray deposition.
• Antimicrobial Copper Coatings Cold gas spray copper coatings with anti-biofilm activity and in vitro biocompatibility for medical and healthcare applications, achieving 0.4% porosity, 30 MPa adherence, and 640 μm thickness.
• High-Entropy Alloy (HEA) Coatings Coatings using high-entropy alloys such as the FeCoCrNiMn Cantor alloy deposited via cold spray and HVOF processes for enhanced corrosion and wear resistance in industrial applications.
• PVD Coatings (CrN, AlCrN, TiAlN) for High-Temperature Environments Physical Vapor Deposition coatings using the Arc Evaporation process for high-temperature corrosion resistance on Waspaloy substrates in petrochemical applications, with AlCrN achieving the lowest corrosion rate of 1.35×10⁻⁵ mg²·cm⁻⁴·s⁻¹ at 700°C.
• 316L Stainless Steel Cold Spray Coatings Cold Gas Spray deposited 316L stainless steel coatings for corrosion and wear resistance on metallic structures.
• CGS Summer School Training Program Educational training program on Cold Gas Spray technology, hosting participants, students, professors and sponsors from around the world for intensive knowledge sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cold spray copper coatings achieved 95% viability rate for THP-1 cells demonstrating excellent biocompatibility
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio (ICV-CSIC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Collaboration on research paper published in Surface and Coatings Technology regarding new bioactive glass composition for bone implant applications.
• Fraunhofer IGCVcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Collaboration on Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing research. CPT researchers visited Fraunhofer IGCV in Augsburg, Germany to support PhD student Andrea Garfias conducting research there. Ongoing exchange of knowledge in additive manufacturing.
• University of ModenaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Academic collaboration on combined structural and CFD finite element simulation of cold-spray process presented at ITSC 2023.
• Tampere UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Academic collaboration on cold spray process simulation research presented at ITSC 2023.
• University of PortominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Collaboration on Metal 3D printing of structured surface BPPs for PEMWEs by Cold Gas Spraying presented at ITSC 2023.
• MAV ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborative partnership in research project for high impact and wear resistant coatings for industrial metal components. CPT contributed coating expertise for protection of large industrial steel parts.
• URDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SME company participating in MAV Cluster project, receiving coating solutions for industrial applications.
• TMComasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SME company participating in industrial metal component coating development project.
• MINES ParisTech PSLcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2022Participation in Cold Spray Club organized by École des Mines of Paris under leadership of Dr. Francesco Delloro, focusing on understanding and analyzing cold spray materials.
• PCE IbéricaminorOthers · 1 January 2021Equipment provider supplying PCE-PCM1 power clamp meter for measuring electrical consumption of thermal spray equipment in life cycle analysis research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oerlikon Metco: Oerlikon Metco is the global market leader in thermal spray equipment, materials, and coating services across aerospace, automotive, energy, and industrial markets. Comparable to CPT as the dominant incumbent offering end-to-end thermal spray solutions, including cold spray, HVOF, and APS technologies that overlap directly with CPT's core service portfolio.
• Bodycote: Bodycote is a large global provider of heat treatment and specialized coating services serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers. Comparable to CPT as a broad incumbent offering industrial surface engineering services at commercial scale, including thermal spray coatings for component wear and corrosion protection.
• Praxair Surface Technologies (Linde): Praxair Surface Technologies, now part of Linde, is a major global provider of thermal spray coatings, materials, and equipment serving aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and medical markets. Comparable to CPT as a broad incumbent with deep expertise in HVOF, plasma spray, and cold spray technologies applied to similar industrial and medical verticals.
• H.C. Starck Tungsten: H.C. Starck produces advanced tungsten, molybdenum, and other refractory metal powders used as feedstock in thermal spray coatings. Comparable to CPT as a supplier/adjacent player in the thermal spray value chain, providing materials specifically for HVOF and plasma spray applications like WC-Co.
• Sandvik Materials Technology: Sandvik offers a broad portfolio of advanced materials, including thermal spray powders and additive manufacturing powders for industrial applications. Comparable to CPT as a broad incumbent supplying coating materials and process know-how across overlapping customer verticals in wear and corrosion resistance.

Direct peers

• Flame Spray Technologies: Flame Spray Technologies is a Dutch equipment manufacturer specializing in thermal spray systems including HVOF, plasma, and cold spray equipment. Comparable to CPT as a direct peer in the thermal spray equipment and process technology ecosystem, with overlapping customer base in research institutions and industrial coating providers.
• APS Materials Inc: APS Materials is a US-based provider of thermal spray coatings, equipment, and materials, specializing in plasma, HVOF, and detonation gun coatings for aerospace, medical, and industrial markets. Comparable to CPT as a direct peer offering specialized thermal spray coating services across similar application verticals.
• CenterLine (Windsor) Limited: CenterLine is a Canadian-headquartered company providing thermal spray equipment, automation, and coating services for industrial applications. Comparable to CPT as a direct peer focused on cold spray and HVOF technologies, serving similar industrial customer needs in wear and corrosion protection.
• Fraunhofer IGCV: Fraunhofer IGCV is a German applied research institute with strong cold spray additive manufacturing and production technology capabilities. Comparable to CPT as a peer research organization actively collaborating (per CPT's partnership records) on CSAM research and serving industrial clients in similar coating and additive manufacturing domains.

Emerging players

• Titomic Limited: Titomic is an Australian publicly-listed cold spray additive manufacturing company commercializing its proprietary Titomic Kinetic Fusion process for industrial-scale metal part production. Comparable to CPT as an emerging player in cold spray additive manufacturing, addressing similar applications in aerospace and defense components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre de Projecció Tèrmica