Artificial joints, surgical instruments, and machine tools are among the products which benefit from the technique. Producing a surface ten times harder than the hardest metal, these alloy coatings are employed wherever low friction, or protection from wear or corrosion are called for. They are also widely used in aluminium press tools and plastic moulds, where they prevent sticking. Demand for coating is growing rapidly, however costs are high. Specialist coating companies have sought to reduce their prices by building larger systems.
Deposition takes place in a vacuum, and that makes the process very slow.
Typically, each cycle lasts five hours. For each batch of products, it takes around three hours to pump the deposition chamber down to the required pressure. That is why they want bigger and bigger systems. But we are convinced that the next logical step in the development of this technique is for manufacturers to do the coating in-house, incorporating the process into their own production lines. An Accessible Technology Existing users are likely to welcome the opportunity to take the work in-house.