PVD COATINGS SERVICES

In recent years the physical vapor deposition process (PVD) has become widely accepted. Since the initial introduction of the Titanium Nitride PVD process, coatings have revolutionized production output in many industrial areas, which include; metal cutting, stamping, Aluminum extrusion, die-casting, plastic injection molding and forging markets.

Technological advances in equipment design have allowed for a new generation of duplex coatings, which incorporate multiple technologies to enhance and optimize performance results beyond traditional boundaries.

An example of this utilization would be to use AISI D-2 cryogenically tempering first to enhance dimensional stability during the heat treat process. This will also promote the transformation of retained Austenite into a Martensitic structure.

After final machining the components would then be subjected to the Ion Nitriding process. This will increase fatigue and yield strength of the material. Additional to this wear resistance will be increased as a result of diffused nitrogen at the surface. A typical increase of hardness would be from 58/60 HRC (650HV) at the beginning to a hardness of 70/72 HRC (1076HV) after the process is complete.

The final step of the process would be to deposit a thin film metallic coating on the surface of the previously Ion Nitrided surface. We utilize a proprietary cathodic arc PVD method that has above average ionization rates. This ensures significant increases in tool performance that can be observed when utilizing these multiple technologies into a finished product.

Ionic Technologies is one of very few facilities that incorporate all of these technologies at one location. It has been our philosophy from the beginning that the best way to ensure quality control is to process everything at a single source location.