General PVD & CVD Coatings, PVD, CVD And TD Coatings

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General PVD & CVD Coatings
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What is PVD coating?
Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD, is a term used to describe a family of thin-film coating processes which are applied under vacuum conditions (10-2 to 10-4 Torr). These processes involve the generation of positively charged ions of various metals. These metal ions react with gas ions that are introduced into the chamber in order to create various compositions. The parts to be coated are given a negative bias in order to attract the positively charged ions. The result is a very strong mechanical bond between the coating and the tool.

What is CVD coating?
Chemical Vapor Deposition, or CVD, is a thin-film coating with a diffusion type bond that results from the reaction between various gaseous phases and the heated surface of a substrate. The final product is a hard, wear-resistant coating with an extremely strong bond to the substrate. CVD is sometimes referred to as a “hot coating” because the process approaches temperatures around 1900°F. For this reason, special post-coating vacuum heat-treating processes have been developed for steel components.

>> Click Here, to see Richter Precision's PVD & CVD coatings technical data

>> Below is a chart showing comparison of these two coating processes:

PVD	CVD
Performed in a vacuum (10^-2 to 10^-4 Torr)	Performed in a controlled atmosphere
Low process temperature (200°-800°F)	High temperature process (1900°F)
Line of sight process	Reactive gas process coats wherever atmosphere contacts surface
Coating exhibits a physical bond to the substrate	Diffusion bond to substrate (much stronger than PVD’s physical bond)
Average thickness: 2-5 µm, or .00008-.0002”	Average thickness: 6-10 µm, or .00024-.0004”
Suitable for a wide range of substrates	Smaller range of appropriate substrates
Ideal for closely toleranced components (+/- .0001” is appropriate)	Requires relatively loose tolerances (example: +/-.0005” per 1.0” diameter)
No heat-treating required	Post-coating heat-treating required on steel components
Good for sharp edges: no excessive coating build-up	Requires hone on cutting edges due to coating build-up
This process has the ability to coat mirror finishes without any post-coating polishing	Difficult to maintain mirror finish (post-coating polishing will improve finish beyond 4 µm.)