Overview - EN ISO 14922:2021 (Thermal spraying)
EN ISO 14922:2021 specifies quality requirements for manufacturers of thermal sprayed coatings to ensure consistent quality assurance across the entire production route. It applies to thermal spraying including all pre‑ and post‑treatments for new parts, repairs and maintenance performed in the workshop or on site. The standard consolidates four earlier parts into a single document and is independent of a company’s broader quality management system (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001).
Key Topics and Requirements
- Scope and purpose: Defines quality elements that are critical for the manufacturing route of thermal sprayed coatings and sets requirements, tests and the scope of tests for qualifying manufacturers.
- Quality requirement classes (QRC): The standard uses graded quality requirement classes (QRC1, QRC2, QRC3) to match coating demands with appropriate technical control.
- Quality assurance levels (QAL): Three selectable levels - Comprehensive (C), Standard (S) and Elementary (E) - describe the depth of factory-level quality assurance measures required. The choice of QAL can be made by the customer or the manufacturer.
- Manufacturer requirements: Covers responsibilities for process control, documentation, qualification of personnel (e.g. thermal spraying coordinators), and factory capability for production and on‑site work.
- Process coverage: Includes thermal spraying operations and all related pre‑ and post‑treatment activities, inspection planning and acceptance criteria.
- Annexes: Practical tools such as a flow diagram for selecting quality requirements (Annex A), specific factory requirements for each QAL (Annex B), and a three-column comparison of quality elements across the levels (Annex C).
- Coating manufacturers qualifying their plants and on‑site teams for customer contracts.
- Design and specification engineers defining minimum quality assurance levels and QRC/QAL in procurement documents.
- Quality managers and auditors performing supplier assessments and process audits for thermal spraying.
- Industries: aerospace, gas turbines, automotive, machinery, oil & gas, chemical, medical devices, steel and offshore construction - anywhere thermal sprayed coatings are applied for anticorrosion, wear resistance, thermal protection, chemical resistance, or electrical/aesthetic functions.
Related standards (normative references)
Useful companion standards referenced by EN ISO 14922:2021 include:
- ISO 14917 (terminology and classification for thermal spraying)
- ISO 14918, ISO 14923 (qualification and testing of sprayers and coatings)
- ISO 12690 (thermal spray coordination)
- ISO 9712 (NDT personnel certification)
- EN 1395‑1 (acceptance inspection of thermal spraying equipment)
EN ISO 14922:2021 is recommended when you need a practical, contract‑ready framework to specify, audit and maintain robust quality assurance for thermal sprayed coatings.