Initially, the focus of RPI was carbide insert manufacturing and refurbishment. Hans Richter, the founder, stressed the importance of tool design basics: material selection, hardness, surface finish, geometry, clearances, and surface treatments. However, while the basics of tool design continue to be stressed; surface treatments were going to define the course of the company’s future.
As Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating processes were being introduced for commercial use in the early 1980’s, Hans Richter was quick to realize their potential. CVD and PVD coatings were producing encouraging results in many tooling applications: tools were working harder and faster with dramatic increases in tool life. Therefore, in 1981, Hans re-focused the company towards providing CVD and PVD coating services.
A key strategy of Richter Precision, Inc. has always been to be as self-sufficient as possible. For this reason, we design, manufacture and maintain most of our own CVD and PVD coating units. The engineers in our Research & Development Department continuously work on improving our processes, while also working on new coating compositions.
Advanced technology means nothing unless you have a group of qualified people to operate this technology. For this reason, our coating technicians are the best-trained team in the coating industry. Training is an on-going process: as new processes and/or technologies are introduced, immediate and thorough training follows. We view this training program as the improvement of our company’s most important resource: our people.
As we move forward, Richter Precision, Inc. will continue in the spirit of innovation that has helped us grow into the largest privately owned CVD and PVD coating company in North America. As we grow, we will continue with the formula that has worked so well: we will provide the highest quality coatings with a strong focus on customer/technical service.