Nissan introduces valve seat using cold spray coating technology

3 September 2025

Nissan has adopted valve seats manufactured using cold spray technology—marking a world-first application in automotive engines, according to the company. Cold spray is a coating technology in which powdered materials are sprayed at supersonic speeds to form a solid layer. Since the 2000s, it has been widely adopted in the aerospace industry, energy, heavy equipment, oil and gas, and other manufacturing industries.

Cold spray technology is now being applied by Nissan to its new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, which is designed for power generation within the third-generation e-POWER hybrid powertrain. The first vehicle globally to feature this new e-POWER system is the Qashqai compact crossover, which began production at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, UK in July.

The new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine (codename ZR15DDTe) employs Nissan’s STARC (Strong Tumble & Appropriately stretched Robust ignition Channel) concept, which elevates thermal efficiency to 42%, according to Nissan. A key element of the STARC concept is minimizing airflow turbulence from the intake port into the combustion chamber, thereby generating a strong tumble flow.

In conventional engines, the design of the intake port is constrained by the necessity for press-fitted, sintered valve seats, which limit the ability to optimize port shape for ideal tumble flow. Nissan engineers addressed this challenge by developing a novel valve seat using cold spray technology. This process allows a coating to be directly formed onto the cylinder head surface, eliminating the need for a separate valve seat component and enabling the creation of an optimized intake port geometry. Furthermore, compared to similar methods, its higher thermal conductivity enables improved cooling performance around the valves.

The new valve seat is produced by spraying dissimilar metal powders at supersonic speed onto the aluminum alloy cylinder head surface, forming a durable coating that adheres strongly without melting the base material.

Cold spray technology operates below the melting points of the materials involved, enabling the bonding of dissimilar metals without melting. This process prevents the formation of excessive intermetallic compounds and micro-voids (porosity) that are common in traditional fusion welding methods. As a result, cold spray coatings exhibit superior adhesion, durability, and reliability.

The Nissan process incorporates a specially developed cobalt-free, copper-based alloy with excellent thermal conductivity, in-house nozzles inspired by polishing techniques used in forged mold production, and AI-driven quality assurance systems.

e-POWER is Nissan’s electric-drive powertrain—introduced in 2016—which combines a compact gasoline engine, battery and electric motor(s). The engine functions solely as a generator, providing electricity to power the motor—delivering a fully electric driving experience without the need for external charging.

In addition to the new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine dedicated to power generation, the third generation e-POWER adopts a 5-in-1 modular electric powertrain unit which integrates the electric motor, generator, inverter, reducer, and increaser. Following the Qashqai, Nissan plans to introduce the new e-POWER in the USA and Canada on the next generation Rogue, as well as in Japan with the all-new Elgrand large minivan in FY26.

Source: Nissan