What is Physical Vapor Deposition? (Pvd)
There are many application methods of PVD coatings used in the industry today. Here at Coating Services Group we use the cathodic arc technique, in which a high-energy electrical arc is used to vaporize target material and apply a thin layer of coating to your steel, stainless steel or titanium parts.
Candidate parts must be virtually spotless before entering our large, high-tech vacuum chambers. As much as a fingerprint of oil, preexisting coating, oxide or discoloration is enough to prevent the coating from adhering properly. Here at CSG parts undergo thorough inspection during multiple stages of processing to ensure our coatings will be applied at the right specifications to meet your needs. All of CSG’s coatings are conformal, meaning that the surface finish on the part before coating will determine how it appears after coating!
Once inside, the coating chamber is pumped down under vacuum and brought up to temperature. From there, our controls and quality experts carry out the specific coating recipe to meet your thickness, hardness, and aesthetic requirements.
Each coating batch at CSG is run with a witness coupon. These coupons are thickness and hardness tested the same day they are run to certify that your parts have been coated correctly and meet the industry standard.
Click any of the yellow acronyms below to learn more about each coating we offer!
titanium nitride (TiN)
Titanium nitride is the most frequently used ceramic coating on machine tools, and has the longest history. Bright gold in color, it is often applied where both wear resistance and appearance are important.
Coating Services Group, LLC. deposits both single and multilayer versions of this coating. CSG also offers unique surface finish and masking capabilities.
Applied by an environmentally friendly PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process, TiN coatings do not affect substrate surface finish.
zirconium nitride (zrn)
The most biocompatible of the ceramic hard nitrides, zirconium nitride is used extensively in cutting applications where other coatings have failed. Its light gold (champagne) appearance, high corrosion resistance, and high hardness have made it the standard coating for decorative hardware as well.
Coating Services Group, LLC. has various versions of this coating, some developed for its own IonFusion® products (scalpel blades and bone saws). Available in both single layer and multilayer versions, ZrN is an excellent choice for medical applications.
Silver lubricious phase (slp)
Silver Lubricious Phase coating is a variation of titanium nitride formulated for applications where the appearance of coating is meant to go unnoticed!
Silver in color, SLP is used in applications where sliding mechanics are important or the gold color of TiN is not desired.
Applied by an environmentally friendly PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process, SLP coatings do not affect substrate surface finish.
titanium aluminum nitride (tialn)
Titanium aluminum nitride is a tough ceramic coating developed for machining at high temperatures. It can be used in a wide variety of applications due to its high hardness and good ductility. Its excellent wear resistance and color has made it the coating of choice in many non-machining operations.
Coating Services Group, LLC.’s TiAlN is a proprietary multilayer coating with superior toughness. Because of its charcoal gray appearance and high scratch resistance, CSG has also developed a variation of the coating specifically for sporting goods including golf clubs and rifle barrels.
Applied by an environmentally friendly PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process, TiAlN coatings do not affect substrate surface finish.