PVD Coatings
Welcome to the website devoted to PVD Coatings, Physical Vapour Deposition a group of vacuum coating techniques that are used to deposit thin film coatings that enhance the properties and performance of tools and machine components. PVD coatings deposited using vacuum coating machines are used in a vast array of industries and hundreds if not thousands of applications as diverse as “self-cleaning” windows, medical implants, cutting tools, decorative fittings and Formula 1 racing parts.
Coated cutting tools.
Coatings are used to increase the life and productivity of cutting and machine tools.
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Low friction coatings
Low friction coatings are used to reduce energy losses due to friction in automotive applications.
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Magnetron sputtering.
Magnetron sputtering is an extremely flexible coating technique that can be used to coat virtually any material. Sputtering is basically the removal of atomised material from a solid by energetic bombardment of its surface layers by ions or neutral particles. Sputtering is an extremely flexible coating technique that can be used to coat virtually any material.
Magnetron Sputtering
Here’s an example of a magnetron sputtering target in action. You can see the blue glow discharge or plasma formed by ionising a neutral gas such as argon.
Common PVD coatings
TiN Coating
TiN was the first PVD coating to be used successfully to machine steel in industry and is still the most recognised due its attractive bright gold colour.
TiAlN Coating
TiAlN has superseded TiN in many applications. The colour is of the TiAlN coating can change and is dependent on the ratio between Ti:Al ratio in the coating and can range from black to bronze. TiAlN offers superior performance for a range of metal machining and fabrication applications.
CrN Coating
The CrN coating has a metallic silver-like colour and is a tough thin film coating with high hardness, good oxidation resistance, and a low coefficient of friction for a ceramic coating making it ideal for metal and plastic forming applications.