PVD Technology is Strengthening its Grasp on the Deposition Industry

PVD coating brings numerous benefits and advantages over other deposition methods.

pvd-coating-automotivePhysical vapor deposition coating, or PVD coating for short, is a vacuum deposition process that has been increasing in popularity over the recent years due to its affordability and quality output. Additionally, its ability to handle large complex geometries in a laboratory setting has further strengthened its case as one of the most valuable coating application mediums available today.

The Benefits of PVD Coating

When using PVD coating equipment, the PVD process naturally provides a more uniform coating and a substantially improved adhesion factor. Furthermore, by utilizing PVD, one has access to a wider array of materials that can be used for deposition without the nuance of dealing with harmful chemicals that need to be disposed of after. That being said, it’s safe to say that the PVD process is an environmentally-friendly option, as opposed to electroplating technology for example, and users will also face minimal chemical disposal costs.

PVD Coating is Becoming the New Medium

Now, many companies have been switching to PVD technology due to these substantial benefits. When it comes to physical vapor deposition, when compared to plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, there are numerous factors that come into play that the user must be wary of – or overall quality can be affected. Coatings can also be deposited from a room temperature all the way up to 500 degrees Celsius (depending on the substrate and application) with little to no impact on the quality of the output. This is more than enough reason for companies to make the switch.


Denton Vacuum, LLC is a leading manufacturer of UHV sputter deposition equipment. For more information, visit Denton Vacuum, LLC online today. 

How Mold Designers Utilize PVD in Their Designs

Surprisingly, PVD has taken hold of the molding industry, and has made it better.

circuit-boardMold users have been taking advantage of the benefits that physical vapor deposition (PVD) has to offer. Through the use of PVD coating equipment, mold builders have been given a chance to utilize a much more productive system with a largely-positive result. Here is a breakdown of what PVD can do for today’s mold designers and builders.

Benefits

When selecting the best option of all the different types of available PVD coatings, there are numerous factors that must be considered – the three most important being resistance, lubricity, and release. Now, one of the advantages of using PVD over other types of coatings is that it provides more wear resistance over uncoated steel. PVD coatings are known to have a much harder shell, so to speak. The layers of plating that cover over the mold are particularly beneficial as it provides a high abrasion resistance. For mold designers, this is nothing short of a perfect product.

Another benefit of using a PVD system on molds is lubricity and plate release. Both of these work in conjunction to reduce part sticking and cycle time. In addition to this, it provides the mold with a much better looking final finish.

All of these benefits are crucial for a mold designer. Because they work based on a system that focuses on quality, any technique that provides a vast amount of benefits is welcomed within the mold industry.


 

Denton Vacuum, LLC is your number one destination for thin film vacuum coating systems. For more information visit them online today.

Breaking Down the Process of Sputtering

Written by: Denton Vacuum, LLC

Sputtering is responsible for many items that are used on a daily basis.

Understanding the process of sputtering is not as difficult and confusing as you may believe it to be. Below, you will find a brief explanation into how sputtering works as well as its’ importance to science.

Sputtering

Sputtering is the process of depositing thin films of a solid material, mainly metal, onto a substrate. Picture the bottom of a compact disc. If you look closely, you might be able to distinguish which layer has been sputtered onto the CD itself. To create that coating, there are various vacuum coating systems that can coat a disc in less than 2 seconds.

How it Works

The process first starts with gaseous plasma that is created and then accelerated through a sputter deposition system. The source is then ejected and comes out in the form of neutral particles. It then follows a narrow path to the substrate unless there is a specified metal that is placed directly in its path, in which it will then be coated by a thin film of that material placed.

Coating Systems

Technology has allowed users to utilize machines that can be used to create thin films in a small amount of time. Because sputtering utilizes a vacuum-based environment, the type of system used correlates to the quality of thin film produced. One example is a magnetron sputtering system. By incorporating multiple beams and optical sensors, thin films are rapidly produced at a quality level.

With sputtering being an integral part of science, one can only figure that technology will advance both machines and their processes to further enhance their usage over time.

Utilizing E-Beam Evaporation and Its Functions

Summary: Here is a description of how e-beam evaporation works.

What is e-beam evaporation? It’s a physical vapor deposition technique that utilizes an electron beam to strike source material. To be more in-depth, a filament-derived beam is directed via magnetic fields towards, for example, shards of Au, in a vacuum-based environment.

Used to coat materials, the source is heated throughout the process and gains enough energy to travel along the vacuum chamber. This then becomes the coating used to cover the substrate above the material that is placed. A common distance that engineers work with is between 300 mm to 1 meter, which is important for the desired result.

With a minimal amount of thermal energy, the distance between the electron beam source and the substrate must be increased. This is because the collision from one molecule to another particle needs to be made up for the lack of thermal energy involved.

To heat the entire surface of the material, an energized beam is used. Powered by large amounts of electricity, the electrons are converted into a beam using the power of magnets. A thermal evaporation system embedded within the process is configured by the engineers for optimum variables.

What’s important to note is that the evaporated molecules need to travel a working distance and not make contact with any residual molecules that were leftover or not impacted by the beam. Why is this so important? It needs to arrive with a low thermal energy, especially in the case of a sensitive substrate that has to be delicately handled. Radiation from the Ebeam energy typically predominates from the transfer but still won’t have too much of an impactful effect in the end result.


 

Bio: Denton Vacuum, LLC has been around for fifty years providing high-quality production with tireless innovation. Visit them online today.

How Automakers Make Everything Shiny and Chrome

Automakers have a unique challenge. They must not only design a car from scratch, which requires a variety of materials and a lengthy manufacturing process, they must produce cars people want to drive. In the case of muscle cars and speed racers, that typically involves lots of chrome. Manufacturers use a PVD coating process to get that shiny metallic finish, but that’s not the only thing it can do.

Take a peek under the hood and you’ll see quite a few parts that have undergone some form of metallization. Metallization is a process that coats one object, say plastic, in metallic substances like aluminum or copper. It is also used to give a uniform finish, like the chrome tail pipe on a motorcycle or classic car.

PVD systems have seen a surge of use in the past thirty years, especially when it comes to high-performance parts.

Chrome Parts

Anything with a chrome finish probably received PVD coatings. Chrome is very different in appearance from brushed metal, which undergoes an intense sanding process aimed at smoothing the metal. Brushed metal can look attractive too, certainly on the interior of cars or on accessories, but chrome has a kind of uniform sheen to it that other metals can’t really match. That’s because chrome is applied through the metallization process, which evenly rotates the part (engineers call it a “substrate”) to receive a uniform coating.

Metalizing Plastic

In high-performance vehicles, like a NASCAR speedster, some parts are actually made of plastic. It’s because the engine is driven so hard, plastic makes more sense economically than using all metal parts. The metal parts will break down just as quickly, and they cost significantly more than coating plastic in metal.

This is similar to technology already used in the cockpits and hulls of jet liners for the aerospace industry.

Advantages

The biggest advantage has to be cost-savings, but there is a hidden advantage too. Cost savings happens on the manufacturer side because fewer materials are wasted during the manufacturing process. Parts are cheaper to produce, and fewer materials are needed to finish the job.

Finally, the materials themselves have completely different properties. Metallization makes plastic much more resistant to wear and heat, which means that cars are cheaper to produce and they last longer too.

Don’t forget that this technology is not limited to metal alone. Windows can be treated with anti-glare coatings, and various finishes can be applied using the same process.
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With clients in the United States and China, Denton Vacuum, LLC specializes in the manufacture of thin-film technology.