bodog
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- Dec 15, 2013
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Sorry, should've clarified. I'm basing most of what I know on the information provided by Ionbond who does the DLC for Zero Tolerance and Spyderco but I could be wrong. Just for some cool info from Ionbond:
CVD
CVA
PVD
PACVD
Tetrabond
Laser Hardening
Glossary
FAQ
Articles
PVD Technology
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is a method for producing metal-based hard coatings by means of generation of partially ionized metal vapor, its reaction with certain gases and by forming a thin film with a specified composition on the substrate. Most commonly used methods are sputtering and cathodic arc. In sputtering, the vapor is formed by a metal target being bombarded with energetic gas ions. Cathodic arc method uses repetitive vacuum arc discharges to strike the metal target and to evaporate the material. All PVD processes are carried out under high vacuum conditions.
The Ionbond PVD process is used for the deposition of coatings made of nitrides, carbides and carbonitrides of Ti, Cr, Zr and alloys like AlCr, AlTi, TiSi on a large range of tools and components. Applications include cutting and forming tools, mechanical components, medical devices and products that benefit from the hard and decorative features of the coatings.
The typical process temperature for PVD coatings is between 250 and 450 °C. In some cases, Ionbond PVD coatings can be deposited at temperatures below 70 °C or up to 600 °C, depending on substrate materials and expected behavior in the application.
The coatings can be deposited as mono-, multi- and graded layers. The latest generation films are nano-structured and superlattice variations of multi-layered coatings, which provide enhanced properties. The coating structure can be tuned to producing the desired properties in terms of hardness, adhesion, friction etc. The final coating choice is determined by the demands of the application.
The coating thickness ranges from 2 to 5 µm, but can be as thin as a few hundred nanometers or as thick as 15 or more µm.
Substrate materials include steels, non-ferrous metals, tungsten carbides as well as pre-plated plastics. The suitability of the substrate material for PVD coating is limited only by its stability at the deposition temperature and electrical conductivity.
http://www.ionbond.com/en/technology/pvd/
CVD
CVA
PVD
PACVD
Tetrabond
Laser Hardening
Glossary
FAQ
Articles
CVD Technology
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a method for producing low stress coatings by means of thermally-induced chemical reactions. The material of the coating is supplied to the coating zone as vapor of the respective precursor. The vapor then either decomposes or reacts with additional precursors, thus producing a film on the substrate. The precursors are continuously fed into the reaction zone and by-products are removed. CVD processes can be carried out under vacuum or at atmospheric pressure.
The Bernex CVD process has been developed in the early 1970s. The deposition process uses metal halides as coating precursors, such as TiCl4 or AlCl3. Over the years, the technology has been continuously improved in order to respond to increasing market requirements to quality of the coatings, reliability and productivity of the process and equipment.
The CVD process is used to deposit 5 to 12, in special cases up to 20, µm thick coatings. Materials employed are TiC, TiCN, TiN and α or κ aluminum oxide (Al203). They are applied as single or multi-layers on inserts for cutting applications, forming and molding tools like punches, extrusion and trimming dies and various mechanical components subject to abrasive or corrosive environments.
The typical process temperatures for Bernex CVD coatings are between 900 and 1050 °C for the HT CVD and between 720 and 900 °C for the Bernex MT CVD process.
Substrate materials are tungsten carbides, tool steels, high temperature nickel alloys, ceramics and graphite. Tempered steel tools and components require heat treatment after coating to re-establish the required hardness.
Low stress
Exceptional adhesion of the coating due to formation of the diffusion bond
High load bearing capacity
Excellent coating uniformity, independent of part geometry
Possibility to coat complex geometries, including certain inner diameters
And here is the list of coatings on Sputtek's site:
And some good links here straight from Spyderco's Michael Janich:
http://spyderco.com/forumII/viewtopic.php?t=66410
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