How to Prepare Your Facility for a Thin-Film Deposition PVD Coater

 

Thanks for deciding on a PVD coating services system for your thin-film coating project. A PVD coating system is normally built and delivered by thin-film equipment manufacturers over the course of at least a few months. You can finish your facility preparation tasks while you wait to start employing thin-film deposition technology. You may get ready for your PVD system, a smooth installation, and a fast production scale-up by taking the actions listed below.

Facility Space

Depending on the size and configuration of the equipment, the space varies in size. We frequently advise consumers to picture the size of a typical home garage. While a big system needs a two-car garage floor space, a tiny system just needs about one garage space. Keep in mind that you might require additional room for ancillary equipment in addition to the PVD system.

Do I Need a Clean Room To Use Thin-Film Technology?

You can use a PVD system in your current manufacturing space. It's usually appropriate for the system if it's comfy for your personnel. Protecting the system from grinding or other metal fabrication activities' particles is best practice. Position your PVD system far from this kind of equipment. For a largely dust-free atmosphere that keeps parts clean, add room separators or enhance air handling systems to keep the system separate. With these safety measures, pvd coating companies offer improved coating consistency and higher yields.

Although PVD machines are vacuum systems that remove air and water vapor from the chamber when a process is going, they are successful in humid areas all over the world. A reduced humidity facility allows for a quicker pump-down period, which cuts your PVD cycle time by several minutes.

Utilities

Vacuum pumps, power sources, heaters, and other electrical equipment are all part of your PVD system. Energy is used by each component at different times during the coating cycle. Here is a brief summary of the equipment needed for utilities and related tasks.

Cooling Water

A standalone or building water chiller must provide cooling water for the PVD system. The cathodic arc deposition technique may coat products like plated plastics or zinc die-cast parts at lower temperatures thanks to cooling water, which maintains the PVD coater's operation at its ideal temperature.

Process Gases

Process gases are used in tiny amounts during the PVD cycle to create different coatings. Gases commonly utilized in PVD coating come in bottles similar to those used in welding operations and include argon, nitrogen, oxygen, methane, or acetylene. For instance, we start with a solid titanium source and mix it with nitrogen gas to produce titanium nitride (TiN) coatings. Our devices automatically meter gases as necessary during that cycle based on the unique coating "recipe" that was created.

Ancillary Equipment

Let's move on to supplementary equipment now that we've discussed the fundamental PVD thin-film deposition system needs.  We can help with the acquisition of these items thanks to its connections with various suppliers.

Also read about: What Are the Values of Quality Control Inspection?

Cleaning

A top-notch coating operation requires clean parts. Depending on the anticipated types of contamination (oils, particles, etc.), substrate material, part geometries, and production volumes, manufacturers can use automated or manual aqueous or non-aqueous cleaning solutions. A grit-blasting cabinet can also aid in the maintenance cleaning of racks, internal chamber shields, and other machine parts.

Parts Handling

On parts racks, parts are kept, loaded into the machine, and removed. For varying part sizes and geometries, these stainless steel racks are available in a variety of shapes and designs. Rack carts are primarily used to store and move racks. Part racks may be moved and stored with ease using wheeled carts. Additionally, setting up a clean, dust-free place for parts staging is advised.

Your Facility Is Ready! It’s Time for Equipment Delivery.

You must get ready to receive and install your thin-film deposition machine when you're ready to bring it in. On a single skid, the majority of Metal Finishing Services PVD machines are delivered fully constructed. A forklift and some simple rigging tools are all that are required to get the equipment into place.

We advise working with a rigging business that is experienced to execute this task for you if you are not comfortable handling heavy machinery. Staff from Metal Finishing Services will help with equipment setup on-site and give your team thorough operation and maintenance training. For more details, you cancall on +1-216-389-2431 or email us at Ncottone@metalfinishing.parts