Ultrasonic spray coating is a precision coating technology that uses high-frequency vibrations to atomise a liquid coating material into a fine, controlled mist, which is then sprayed onto a substrate for uniform thin-film deposition.
Ultrasonic spray coating maximises material efficiency and process control, with tight droplet distribution and independent control of flow rate, droplet size and deposition. The technology is also scalable, making it suitable for applications ranging from laboratory research and development through to full-scale manufacturing.
Ideal for advanced materials, functional coatings and research applications, ultrasonic spray systems offer excellent coating uniformity across a wide range of substrates and formulations, even on small and complex geometries.
Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) coaters enable thin films to be deposited by spraying a solution on to a heated surface, or through a flame, causing a chemical reaction to take place and a new compound to be formed. Within powder metallurgy, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis can be used to produce nanoscale powders with controlled particle size, uniform size distribution, highly spherical morphology and high-purity chemical composition.
PI-KEM can supply ultrasonic coaters, suited to both research and commercial applications, on behalf of Cheersonic, MTI and Navson.
Applications of Ultrasonic Spray Coating
Ultrasonic spray coating is suited to a wide range of industrial, research and advanced thin-film applications. The process can be used to apply many different coating materials, including paints, inks, adhesives and sealants, as well as functional materials, polymers, catalysts, nanoparticles and chemical solutions.
Key application areas include:
- Advanced Energy – Precision coatings for fuel cells, photovoltaic cells, perovskite solar cells and batteries.
- Electronics & Semiconductors – Used for MEMS and semiconductor processing; photoresist deposition and protective wafer coatings; and EMI shielding coatings. Ultrasonic spraying is particularly useful for achieving uniform coatings across complex 3D microstructures and high-aspect-ratio features.
- Medical Devices – Enables controlled thin-film deposition of medical reagents onto stents; coating bio-compatible diagnostic devices; and anti-microbial medical textiles. The technology can apply polymers, pharmaceuticals, reagents and other functional coatings to small or complex components, meeting the strict requirements of medical materials.
- Nanomaterials & Sensors – Suitable for depositing carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanowires, graphene, conductive nanoparticles and functional materials for sensors and nanotechnology. Spray coating is well suited to spraying nanosuspensions and corrosive solutions, and for use in high temperature environments.
Benefits of Ultrasonic Spray Coating
Spray coating is a versatile, efficient and scalable method for applying uniform coatings across a wide range of materials and surfaces. Spray coating offers a number of benefits:
- Uniform surface coverage – consistent films over large areas and irregular surfaces.
- Controllable coating thickness – parameters can be adjusted to build coatings from relatively thin films to thicker functional layers.
- Wide material compatibility – Suitable for many liquid formulations, including paints, inks, adhesives, sealants, polymers, protective coatings and functional materials.
- Versatile substrates – Can be used on materials such as metals, glass, ceramics, polymers, textiles and semiconductor substrates.
- Efficient material deposition – Targeted spraying can reduce unnecessary coating material usage compared with processes that require an excess of coating material.
- Scalable processing – Spray coating can be used for small-scale R&D and prototyping as well as automated, high-throughput manufacturing.
- Complex geometry coating – Spraying can reach curved, irregular and three-dimensional surfaces that may be difficult to coat with other techniques.
- Multi-layer capability – Different materials can be deposited sequentially to produce multi-layer coatings.
Cheersonic Coaters
Cheersonic offers a versatile range of ultrasonic spray coating systems for applications ranging from laboratory research and process development through to automated, high-volume manufacturing. Systems can be configured with different ultrasonic nozzle technologies, liquid delivery methods and substrate handling options to suit a wide variety of coating requirements.
Across the range, Cheersonic systems can produce films from 10 nm to 100 µm, with flow rates ranging from 0.01 to 50 ml/min depending on the system and nozzle configuration. Systems can incorporate heated vacuum plates, positioning features and multiple nozzle options, providing a flexible platform that can be adapted as coating requirements evolve. The systems are easy to use, have a high material usage ratio, and can be used to deposit films for higher production volume and larger substrates.
A Solution for Every Scale
- Benchtop & R&D Coaters
Compact, programmable systems for research, formulation development and small-scale production. - Standalone & Medium-Scale Coaters
Fully enclosed standalone systems provide increased coating capacity and automation for applications moving beyond initial R&D. - Large-Area & Industrial Coaters
For scale-up and production, Cheersonic offers large-area systems that can incorporate multiple ultrasonic nozzles and continuous liquid delivery, designed for demanding industrial coating processes. - Inline & Continuous Coating Systems
Inline systems are designed for integration into automated manufacturing lines, combining ultrasonic spraying with continuous substrate handling.
- Application-Specific Systems
Alongside general-purpose coating platforms, Cheersonic offers specialised equipment for applications such as stent and catheter coating, blood collection tubes / syringe coating, drug coatings, and photoresist coating. - Spray Pyrolysis & Powder Systems
Specialist ultrasonic systems are also available for spray pyrolysis, nanopowder production and atomisation/granulation, extending the technology beyond conventional surface coating. - Flexible Configurations
A range of ultrasonic nozzle configurations allows systems to be adapted for focused, fine-line, wide-area and vortex spray patterns, supporting everything from highly targeted deposition to broad surface coverage. This flexibility allows the coating process to be tailored to the material, substrate and required production scale.
Key Features:
- Coating uniformity of +/- 2%
- Maximum spraying area: 200mm x 200mm to 400mm x 400mm
- Spray patterns adjustable by using interchangeable nozzles (1mm to 80mm)
- Glove box compatible
- Self-cleaning nozzle
- Continuous or intermittent spraying
- Hot plate or hot plate and vacuum options
- Optional camera
Click here for detailed Cheersonic product information.
- Benchtop & R&D Coaters
MTI Coaters
MTI offers a diverse range of ultrasonic spray coating and spray pyrolysis systems for materials research, thin-film development and scale-up. The range covers compact benchtop equipment through to larger floor-standing and roll-to-roll systems, alongside specialist solutions for cylindrical surfaces, wafer coating, higher-viscosity slurries and high-throughput materials research.
Product Options
- Benchtop Spray Pyrolysis Coaters
Compact systems combine ultrasonic spraying with a heated substrate platform. - Large-Area Spray Pyrolysis Coaters
Floor-standing systems provide increased coating capacity for larger substrates, with MTI offering configurations with heated coating areas ranging up to 16" × 16". - Roll-to-Roll & Sheet Coating
For flexible substrates and process scale-up, MTI offers a combined sheet and roll-to-roll ultrasonic spray pyrolysis system, extending ultrasonic deposition from individual substrates to continuous materials. - Spin-Spray & Wafer Coating
MTI's ultrasonic spin-spray systems combine substrate rotation with ultrasonic atomisation, providing a specialised coating option for wafers and other circular substrates. - Specialist & Custom Spray Systems
The range also includes equipment for cylindrical surfaces, higher-viscosity slurries and high-throughput multi-layered coatings, allowing ultrasonic spraying to be adapted to more specialised materials and substrate geometries.
- Modular & DIY Systems
MTI also offers individual ultrasonic spray nozzles with power controllers and CNC positioning stages, providing flexible options for researchers looking to build or customise an ultrasonic spray coating setup.
Key Features:
- Programmable X-Y positioning for controlled and repeatable coating
- Single and multi-head configurations available across the range
- Heated substrate platforms up to 500°C for spray pyrolysis and Mist CVD processes
- Coating areas from 150 × 150 mm to 400 × 400 mm across standard USP systems
- Glove box compatible
- Individual ultrasonic nozzles, controllers and positioning stages available for customised research setups
Click here for detailed MTI product information
- Benchtop Spray Pyrolysis Coaters
Navson Coater
The Navson NTPY01 is a programmable spray pyrolysis and ultrasonic thin-film deposition system, designed for controlled deposition of thin films and functional coatings. It combines ultrasonic atomisation with a PID-controlled heated substrate and programmable nozzle movement, enabling researchers to control droplet size, deposition conditions and film characteristics.
Key features:
- Automated XYZ motion control – High-torque positioning motors provide repeatable spray paths and controlled substrate coverage, with X-axis speeds up to 800 mm/s and optional Z-axis adjustment
- Ultrasonic and air-ultrasonic nozzle options - Allows the atomisation method to be adapted to different formulations and coating requirements
- Ultrasonic atomisation – Interchangeable 60, 120 and 180 kHz nozzles provide controlled droplet sizes from approximately 14 µm to 40 µm
- Flexible precursor delivery – Supports both peristaltic and syringe pump configurations, allowing precise control of precursor flow
- Integrated heated substrate stage – PID-controlled heating from ambient temperature up to 500°C, with a 200 × 200 mm heating area for controlled thermal decomposition during deposition
- Large, configurable process chamber – 650 × 650 × 650 mm stainless-steel chamber accommodates wafers, multiple substrates and customised fixtures
- Optional inert-gas capability – Nitrogen or argon purge configurations can provide controlled atmospheres for air- and moisture-sensitive materials such as halide perovskites
- Chemical-resistant construction – Fluid-contact components use stainless steel and high-performance polymers to support a broad range of precursor chemistries
- Modular configuration – Optional accessories include vacuum chucks, IR heating stages, purge kits and tilt fixtures, allowing the system to be configured for specific research requirements
- Research-to-scale-up workflow – Automated deposition, recipe control and process logging support repeatable experimentation and progression from material discovery to pilot-scale process validation
- 7-inch touchscreen - For process control, recipe management and visualisation of spray paths.
- < 5% thickness variation
The Navson NTPY01 Spray Pyrolysis System provides a flexible and highly controllable platform for research and development, combining precise precursor delivery, automated spray movement, programmable operation and process data logging. The system enables researchers to develop and optimise deposition processes with a high degree of repeatability, and supports consistent experimental workflows. The modular design also allows the system to be configured around specific research requirements and future experimental needs.
With applications spanning metal oxides, perovskites, transparent conductive materials, sensors, catalysts, thermoelectrics and energy-storage materials, the NTPY01 offers a practical solution for laboratories working across materials science, nanotechnology and thin-film research.
Order your Ultrasonic Coater with PI-KEM
Ready to order your ultrasonic coater?
From precision thin-film deposition and spray pyrolysis to specialist coating and powder preparation, the right system depends on your material, substrate and research objectives.
Talk to our technical team about your application and we’ll help you identify the right spray technology, system and configuration to move your research forward.
Discuss Your Spray Coating Requirements →
📞 Call our technical team on 01827 259250
📧 Email sales@pi-kem.co.uk
