PVD Coating Explained
What is PVD Technology?
What are the most common PVD Technology?
The most common PVD coating processes used today are cathodic arc evaporation and magnetron sputtering. Both of these coating processes take place in a vacuum deposition chamber where reactive gases such as nitrogen, acetylene, or oxygen are introduced to create various compound coatings.
What is Cathodic Arc Evaporation?
In the cathodic arc evaporation coating process, a high current, low voltage is started on the surface of a cathode electrode that ionizes evaporated metal materials. Those metal ions are transported through a vacuum chamber with the mix of reactive gases and deposited as a thin film on a substrate contained there. This ionization greatly enhances the film’s properties and adhesion.
What is Magnetron Sputtering?
Magnetron sputtering uses argon gas to bombard high-energy magnetrons on to a target surface, resulting in a sputter of atoms from the target. Sputtered atoms are emitted through the chamber and deposited as a thin film on a substrate. Magnetron sputtering is an extremely flexible coating method so that almost any material can be used for the coating.
What are the key benefits of PVD Technology?
Improve hardness:
Hardness of substrate surface can be increased 3 to 5 times by applying PVD coating without impairing tolerance and quality of coated parts
Increase wear resistance:
Higher hardness gives cutting tools and forming tools etc. much better protection against abrasive wear.
Increase oxidation resistance:
Oxidation resistance can be increased by adding a layer of protection coating on substrate surface.
Reduce friction:
Applied with coating on the surface of molds and forming dies, products can be released from molds and dies easily due to lower friction coefficient.
Increase productivity:
For working components, such as cutting tools, higher feed rate can be achieved by increasing wear resistance and heat resistance.
Hardness of substrate surface can be increased 3 to 5 times by applying PVD coating without impairing tolerance and quality of coated parts
Increase wear resistance:
Higher hardness gives cutting tools and forming tools etc. much better protection against abrasive wear.
Increase oxidation resistance:
Oxidation resistance can be increased by adding a layer of protection coating on substrate surface.
Reduce friction:
Applied with coating on the surface of molds and forming dies, products can be released from molds and dies easily due to lower friction coefficient.
Increase productivity:
For working components, such as cutting tools, higher feed rate can be achieved by increasing wear resistance and heat resistance.
Why Choose PVD Technology
There are two primary vacuum coating processes: chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD). The CVD method was the one most commonly used for many years though PVD is gradually taking over CVD’s popularity in vacuum coating families
Variety of Coating Options
PVD allows a wider range of suitable materials for coating, from pure metals and metal compounds to diamond-like carbon combination. All of them are applicable to the PVD vacuum coating system.
Low-Coating Temperature
PVD is operated at a relatively low temperature, from 200 C to 450 C, in a vacuum chamber. This means it can provide coating for a greater variety of materials, such as plastics, glass, ceramics, and hybrid substrate. This also means the parts can maintain their geometry and tolerances, allowing for coating of sharp cutting edges.
Green Technology
PVD is the more environment-friendly coating technology because no waste is produced before or after the cycle of PVD coating. In contrast, CVD coating will produce hydrogen choldride (HCI), which must be disposed of according to environmental regulations.