Low deposition temperature
PVD can be applied at temperatures lower than 500 degrees Celsius. This makes it possible to cover substrates like bearing steels and titanium or aluminium alloys. Chemical vapour deposition, or CVD, would make this impossible. Even polymers can be coated when the coating temperature is low enough.
Smooth coatings
The exact surface roughness of the substrate material is followed by magnetron sputtered coatings. If a fingerprint was there prior to coating, you will now be able to see it. For applications like highly precise shaping, smooth coatings are essential.
High hardness
PVD coatings are applied while being simultaneously bombarded by ions. These powerful ions provide the sputtered neutrals with the energy they need to locate an appropriate nucleation site and generate significant compressive stress, which enables the deposition of dense, hard coatings. With this method, PVD coatings that are 1000–4000HV in hardness—roughly 5 times the hardness of high speed steel—can be deposited.
Wear resistance
All types of wear-resistant PVD coatings can be deposited. For instance, significant reductions in the following wear mechanisms are seen in machining
The issue is crater wear, which is caused by chemical reactions between the tool and the workpiece.
Solution: Chemical reactions are inhibited by stable coverings.
Problem: Flank wear, or abrasive wear caused by the work piece’s hard components.
Arrangement: Hard coatings
Problem: The material from the work piece is built up at the edge and welded to the tool tip, which could cause the tip to separate in its whole.
Low friction coatings that prevent the development of solid solutions and heat production are the solution.
Problem: Notching at the depth of the cut causes some tool material to oxidise and some chip edge abrasion.
The solution is to apply coatings that are resistant to oxidation up to 1000 degrees Celsius.
Problem: Thermal cracks, caused by temperature differences caused by intermittent heating and cooling during cutting.
Solution: Heat-reducing coatings with low friction.