Objective To demonstrate the improvement of important surface characteristics and energy saving potential of Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating technology in comparison with conventional heat treatments, especially on components in excess of 1.5 x2 mtrs.Up to March 1986, the system had been installed and tested for:- vacuum tightness;- pumping capacity, in order to achieve short evacuation cycles.The following programme activities were also tested:- vacuum control;- process gas control;- high tension vacuum feed-thru insulation;- negative bias;- source power supplies;- temperature control.After evaluation of a new patented concept, the steered arc evaporator, a prototype was manufactured. Based on the properties of deposited layers, this offers a break-through in arc-coating technique. The advantage of this evaporating principle is its macro-free coating (macros, non-ionised particles of 10-20 um, are emitted from the evaporator during coating: they cause a rough surface, and appear when conventional evaporators are used).The use of an electrostatic - electromagnetic filter (now patented), which may also be used for conventional arc evaporators, overcomes this problem.It also became necessary to make alterations to the power supplies since, during testing of the steered arc evaporator, it became obvious that source and bias power supplies adversely influenced its operation.The part of the programme activity given over to substrate heating using radiation, was abandoned after a short test period, since alternative heating methods such as glow-discharge and ion bombardment, turned out to be more effective, and required less energy. it was also decided to use contact-free infrared measurements in conjunction with contact thermocouples for substrate temperature measurement.Quality control for coatings on large substrates, such as layer thickness, structure and adhesion values, have been derived using 'the scratch tester' a recently developed tool. These are compared with the performances of coated layers on drills during life-time tests.Since industrial components are not sufficiently clean for coating, various cleaning methods are also being tested, apart from ultrasonic cleaning: abrasive cleaning for example, and a cleaning procedure has been established in order to create the best possible surface properties for the successful adhesion of the deposited layers.It is intended to patent an improved method of ignition, and additional patents for improvements to essential power supply components and control features.Hauzer Techno Coating have manufactured a coating system in which wear-resistant layers can be coated on large components to extend their life, and improve on other heat treatment coating techniques.This patented technique is called 'steered arc deposition.' It enables metal and alloy components to be coated with wear resistant and corrosive resistant reactive coverings, to very premise tolerances. The process consists of four separate stages:- component cleaning/vacuum pumping;- creation of arc discharge between anode and titanium cathode. The discharge is characterised by low voltage and high current density: this transforms solid cathode material into ionised and energy rich atoms and particles;- ion bombardment is induced by the addition of Argon (0,01 - 0,001 torr) and use of substrate voltage (1-5Kv). This has a cleaning effect on the substrate by removing loose particles adhering to the surface;- by the addition of nitrogen (0,01 - 0,001 torr) and choice of correct process parameters such as Argon pressure and bias voltage, deposition of TiN on the substrate will take place (reactive ion plating).The coating installation consists of :- titanium cathode;- anode;- insulation;- substrate table;- high capacity electronics for arc unloading;- high capacity electronics for substrate table;- N2 and/or Argon gas supply;- vacuum pump system.The particles have an average kinetic energy value of +/- 4 cV. In the working area arc unloading occurs, freeing atoms and ions from the cathode with an ionisation degree of +/- 80% and kinetic energy of up to 1,000 V. The resulting particle volume is sufficient for ion deposition speeds in excess of 100 A/sec.The relative high kinetic energy of ions and atoms provides good adhesion and high coating lifespan. The process can be carried out in a variety of gas environments. In the Hauzer programme N is used as the reactive gas, resulting in the building-up of TiN surface layers.The project has four phases, over a 26 month period, ranging from purchase of installation components, construction of the vacuum chamber and installation testing. The longest phase (the third) scheduled for 12 months calls for tests which, with client co-operation, offer the opportunity of constant evaluation on tested combinations of material and coatings under realistic process conditions. Programme(s) ENG-ENALT 2C - Programme (EEC) of demonstration projects relating to the exploitation of alternative energy sources and to energy saving and the substitution of hydrocarbons, 1983-1985 Topic(s) 3.2 - INDUSTRY Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme DEM - Demonstration contracts Coordinator HAUZER TECHNO COATING EUROPE BV EU contribution No data Address GROETHOFSTRAAT 27 5916 PA VENLO Netherlands See on map Total cost No data
