PVD Coating

What is PVD Coating?

PVD ( Physical Vapour Deposition) is vacuum deposition method used to produce thin films and color coating on the stainless steel material. The PVD coating is based on the principle of plasma acceleration. The method involves purely physical processes, high temperature and vacuum evaporation with plasma sputter bombardment.

PVD coating is one of the best methods for enhancing thin film plating elements. The vacuum deposition method coats the product with a film of hard refractory material less than 1 micron thick.

PVD Coating Process

Preparation

The stainless steel is cleaned to remove any contaminants. This step is crucial to ensure proper adhesion of the coating.

Loading

The stainless steel is placed in a vacuum chamber, where the PVD process will take place. The chamber is sealed to create controlled environment.

Pumping and Evacuation

The chamber is evacuated to create a vacuum environment, typically at pressures ranging from a few millibars to ultra-high vacuum levels. This step removes air and other gases from the chamber, reducing the chance of contamination.

Heating

In some cases, the stainless steel may be heated prior to coating to improve adhesion or to promote chemical reactions. The temperature and duration of heating are specific to the stainless steel.

Deposition of Coating Material

The PVD process begins by introducing the coating material into the chamber. The material is typically in the form of a solid metal or alloy, known as the target/source material. Several methods can be used to introduce the material. Are evaporation involves creating an electric are between the target material and an electrode. The are vaporizes the target material, and the resulting vapor condenses onto the stainless steel.

Film Formation

The vaporized coating material condenses onto the substrate, forming a thin film. As the vapor atoms or molecules come into contact with the stainless steel, they lose energy and bond together to create the coating layer. The thickness and properties of the film can be controlled by adjusting piamentemperatuch and gasdepoposition in the chamber.

Cooling and Venting

Onechicha, dheireanbatingll thickneled to stabilize the coating. After cooling, the chamber is vented, and the coated stainless steel is removed.

PVD Coating Product Specification

The results are base on reports from

No.	Test	Test parameter	Test Method	Results	Remarks
1.	Adhesion by tape test	Crosshatch	ASTM D3359 (Method B)	The edges of the cuts completely smooth, none of the squares of the lattice is detached
2.	Salt spray test	250 hours, 5% salt (NaCl) spray	ASTM B 117-18	Percent of surface rusted less than or equal to 0.01%	The highest rating from the scale
3.	Material hardness	Hardness value	ASTM E 384-17	Average 230HV
4.	Chemical resistance test	Hydrochloric acid 30% w/w Sodium hydroxide 30% w/w Acetone	ASTM D5402-19 (50 times cotton cloth rub)	Showed uniform appearance, color and texture. The surface was free of blemishsuch as flow lines, streaks, blisters or other surface imperfections
5.	Coating thickness	Microscopical Examination of Cross Section	ASTM B487-85 (2013)	0.56 – 0.57 µm
6.	Coating composition	Energy Dispersive Spectrum (EDX)	ASTM E 1508 – 12a (2018)	Titanium, Ti: 67.34% Nitrogen, N: 32.66%