For cases where a very strong mechanical bond is required (such as for components that are going to be used to machine with) the components surface is often machined to create grooves for the coating to bond to. Dovetail grooves offer strong positive bonding but can be laboursome and costly. A cheaper method is to cut simple partially open grooves, yet this method produces an inferior final bond strength. The edges and corners of a component present possible weak points in the coating structure, as they can break off from the component. To increase the bond strength at these points the corners and edges of the component should be rounded off. If the coating does not need to reach the edges of a component, then an undercut can be used (as shown in the diagram to the right) to secure the coating to the substrate. Although undercuts can also be used in other scenarios.
Coatings often have a tendency to shrink after being applied due to the cooling process. This means steps need to be taken in order to minimise the negative effects of shrinking. If not, the coating can suffer from stress due to tension which will weaken the coating and in some cases may cause it to peel off. The fact coatings shrink can be used to increase the bond strength if applied wisely. Coating over the entire external surface of a component means that the coating will shrink around the component when cooled providing a sort of gripping force that will increase the mechanical bond strength. This is also the case if a flat component is sprayed over the edges, the coating will grip the surface like a clamp; again increasing bond strength. Internal coatings suffer from the effect of shrinking in that they will be pulled away from the surface of the component. To counter this the component can be heated to reduce the relative shrinking effects on cooling.
Components should be dry machined (without oils) to avoid oils being deposited on the component before spraying. If this is unavoidable then the substrate will need to be cleaned again prior to detonation spraying.