The knowledge-technology connection

Sanjay Sampath, Center for Thermal Spray Research, New York shares his views on the knowledge-technology connection. The proposed knowledge-technology map for thermal spray provides a timeline of developments on both the knowledge creation and technology development fronts and attempts to establish the inter- connections between the two activities in the advancement of the enterprise. The x-axis to a first approximation represents the progression of technology in the field of thermal spray while the y-axis identifies the various milestones in thermal spray knowledge creation. The integration between knowledge and technology will ultimately propel the thermal spray enterprise into a new era of 'coatings by design', robust and reliable processes and novel applications as functional surfaces.