PVD processes and characteristics
"PVD coatings (Physical Vapor Deposition) are superficial metal coatings in the form of very very thin films (with thicknesses ranging from a few tenths of a micron up to more important values depending on the needs), deposited with highly innovative technologies.”
What is PVD?
Initially born as an application in the military field, it soon found confirmation in many other sectors as a quality alternative to common surface colours techniques (eg galvanizing, painting, etc.) solving some problems and increasing their quality and technical characteristics.
Starting from different types of substrate (the composing material of the object to be coated) such as brass, zamak, aluminum, steel, titanium up to plastic, glass / crystal, ceramic, carbon fiber, various materials are deposited. Some of them are:
zirconium (Zr);
titanium (Ti);
chrome (Cr);
titanium-aluminum (TiAl);
aluminium-titanium (AlTi);
aluminum-chromium (AlCr),
blended with technical gases such as nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O2,), Acetylene (C2H2,), Methane (CH4).
PVD Characteristics
The qualities of PVD coatings (which have much higher characteristics than traditional colours) are:
– High surface hardness > 1.800 HV: > 1800 HV;
– Reproducibility and stability of color and surfaces;
– Non-toxic, hypoallergenic and biocompatible;
– High resistance to wear, scratches, rubbing and corrosion;
– High resistance to the aggressive action of atmospheric agents (eg salt spray, UV rays);
– Resistant to acids, alkalis, solvents and in general to many products for domestic and industrial use;
– Surfaces’ Metallic appearance without requiring a transparent coating to protect the colours;
The achievable colors (and reproducible without obvious deviations) include the following range with different shades: gold, black, palladium, champagne, copper, multicolor… and others.
Our colours
We can coat various types of objects of different materials (titanium, stainless steel, iron, brass, zamak, aluminum) up to some applications in crystal, ceramic and carbon fiber. Depending on the color tone requested by the customer and the physical / mechanical characteristics to which the part must respond, we propose the appropriate type of coating.
We deposit titanium, zirconium, chromium, alloys in well-defined percentages of titanium, aluminum, chromium which, wisely mixed with technical gases to obtain oxides, nitrides and carbides, form superficial deposits of ceramic compounds with high standards of resistance. And in any case we dedicate resources for the study and implementation of new solutions.
Here follow some types of coating :
TiN ; TiCN; TiO2 ;
ZrN ; ZrCN;
CrN ; CrCN;
AlTiN ; AlTiCN;
TiAlN ; TiAlCN.
If you have any questions or requests do not hesitate to contact us, we will reply as soon as possible
Decorative and functional applications
These types of combinations allow to obtain very high surface hardness (HV> 1800), resistance to salt spray, corrosion and aggression from atmospheric agents, products for industrial use (solvents) and household products (various detergents) above the common standards.
Furthermore, the possibility of obtaining different types of colors, non-toxicity of the product and total absence of environmental impact of the production cycle complete its fundamental characteristics. The fields of application are essentially two: decorative and functional.
Decorative
The decorative application ranges from the most varied sectors: handles and accessories for doors, taps and sanitary in general, items for the home and for the table, interior/exterior furnishings, jewellery and eyewear, fashion and accessories, sporting goods, boating and automotive, lighting, and more generally any object that needs a colours of higher quality than what has traditionally been.
Functional
Technical-functional coatings are used with the task of fulfilling the tribological criticalities that occur in the normal use of fundamentally mechanical component.
The most widely used fields of application are: tools in general, from insert plates to cutters, components and accessories for hot and cold molds such as pins, punches and dies.
Gear hobs, cutting blades, machinery components of various kinds, from oil and gas to the chemical sector to food and more generally functional articles subjected to heavy wear and / or thermal stress.
