Look Ahead: Low-temperature PVD coating

A physical vapor deposition coating protects the edge of a cutting tool, for example, from the wear and tear of everyday use. However, many common industrial materials can’t take advantage of such protection because the coating process would be more damaging to them than that wear and tear. Deposition of PVD coatings commonly takes place at high temperatures—from 385° to 750° F (196° to 399° C). That has ruled out its application on some common materials, such as hardened steel.

And there’s been another limitation: The material to be coated has to be able to conduct electricity. Most PVD coating processes depend on biasing the part that’s to be coated, which means to charge it electrically and make it attract the coating molecules. That has meant that materials such as ceramics, which are able to take the heat but are nonconductive, couldn’t effectively be PVD-coated.

A PVD coating can extend the life of cutting tools,
such as drills and saws, as well as bearings. Image courtesy of SurfTech.