What Is PVD Coating?

PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition. There are multiple kinds of PVD, each with their own
advantages and disadvantages. PVD coating technologies are differentiated by how the coating is
made, which can have a profound impact on the performance of the end product. Two coatings
made from the same starting material, deposited on the same substrate, can have very different
properties if the PVD process is different.

What is Cathodic Arc?

Cathodic arc is a type of physical vapor deposition that offers advantages in terms of coating
adhesion, uniformity, utility on parts with 3- dimensional structure and scalability. Cathodic arc
uses low voltage combined with high currents to create electrical arc discharges inside a vacuum
chamber. Unlike sputtering which uses high voltages to force ionized, inert gas to ablate a target,
the gas in cathodic arc serves primarily as a carrier for electricity.
Those arcs result in local superheating of the cathode (made from the material to be deposited)
resulting in simultaneous evaporation and ionization. It is this combination which provides cathodic
arc with its unique advantages.

Coating options with cathodic Arc

Cathodic arc is compatible with a wide variety of materials, allowing us to select exactly the right
material for your application. Unlike other types of physical vapor deposition, cathodic arc does not
suffer from selective elemental deposition. This means the cathode and the resulting coating have
the same composition. This allows for the manufacturing of coatings made from desirable alloys.
Cathodic arc can also be performed reactively, widening the range of available materials further.
Coatings with excellent wear and lubrication properties can be manufactured by flowing reactive gasses
such as oxygen, nitrogen or acetylene. This also provides control over color of the resulting coating.