How Does The PVD Coating Process Work?

The PVD coating process uses vacuum, target material (e.g. Titanium), heat, electrical potential
and gasses such as nitrogen to deposit a coating on the substrate. The substrate is put
into the chamber and connected to electrical source to enable a potential voltage difference.
The chamber is evacuated and heated to high temperatures (100-600°C). A small amount
of gas (Nitrogen for TiN) is bled into the Physical Vapor Deposition chamber. A plasma cloud
is then ignited which evaporates the target material and deposits the coating on the substrate
in a controlled and precise manner. Different target materials and gasses are used to create
different coatings with different properties. These PVD coatings can increase the Rockwell
'C' hardness of steel up to 4 times that of plain steel as well as reduce the coefficient of friction.

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