PVD coatings are often used today in the decorative sector to give metal or plastic surfaces a high-quality appearance, whether through color accents or a particularly glossy appearance. These high-quality properties are, for example:
• translucent colors,
• the structure of the substrate remains intact (brushing, polishing, etc.),
• completely covering layers, which are however very thin and cause the cool touch feeling (plastic feels like metal)
The disadvantage of this PVD surface treatment is its high sensitivity to scratches, corrosion or chemical influences. Fingerprints, for example, are difficult or impossible to remove.
Top coat or single layer
EPG AG has developed an "invisible" coating solution that can reliably protect PVD surfaces. By spray application a transparent sol-gel layer is applied directly to the PVD surface and after thermal densification a very thin glassy coating is formed which shows good adhesion to the PVD substrate and at the same time has strong mechanical properties. EPG AG has already completely replaced the PVD treatment for coloring for customers with specific color requirements; further colors are currently being qualified for customers. The focus of these developments is on the numerous color requirements of our customers in combination with their resistance to external influences. EPG AG thus offers an economical alternative to the usual two-layer process of PVD coating. Also the larger color deviations, which are partly present in the PVD, can be avoided as far as possible with the EPG process, because a color comparison takes place before the production release and does not vary afterwards any more.
Detailed information on PVD replacement can be found here in the JOT article (No. 4/2019):
EPG (Engineered nanoProducts Germany) AG Goethestraße 30 D-64347 Griesheim Tel.: +33 (0) 387 0016-11 Fax: +33 (0) 387 0016-18 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.