When I started graduate school at the University of Virginia, I received one of my first tasks—to select and procure equipment for my research. However, unlike purchasing a dilatometer or lab furnace, I needed to find an air plasma spray (APS) system and the lab space where it would reside. If you are unfamiliar with APS, I often describe it to friends as a massively glorified arc welder that generates a high-temperature plasma jet to deposit coatings.

No amount of scholarly preparation prepares you adequately for some things in life. The thermal spray industry, which consists primarily of APS, exceeds $1 billion annually.