Large-scale manufacturing of nanoscale multilayered hard coatings deposited by cathodic arc/unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Nanoscale multilayered (superlattice) hard coatings can be manufactured in a plastic hardness range (HP) between 25 GPa and 55 GPa by a combination of cathodic arc evaporation and unbalanced magnetron sputtering (arc bond sputter technology). Using large-scale industrial physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment and a sufficiently high pumping speed, multilayered coatings can be deposited by simultaneously operating cathodes without special shutter and shielding facilities in a common reactive-gas atmosphere. The efficiency of the process is in many cases identical to that of TiN and CrN. Temperature-resistant, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant coatings of various compositions have been produced under industrial conditions. So far, the main applications concentrate on metal-forming and on cutting die steel, Inconel, stainless steel, and titanium. Applications have also been found in the chemical, textile, medical, and automotive industries.