The study is aimed at developing methods for producing thin-layer cermet coatings. Such coatings are promising for use in flat heating elements, thermal protective coatings. A method for producing electrically conductive coatings based on copper and borosilicate glass using the technology of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis is proposed. The wave synthesis and thermal explosion in the CuO – B – glass thin-layer system were studied using experimental methods and developed mathematical models. The effect of the reaction layer thickness and inert additive on the kinetics of the process and characteristics of final products was studied. Numerical calculations were performed to study the dynamics of the process. The thermophysical and kinetic parameters that determine the synthesis in the CuO – B – glass system are found using the inverse method.