PVD Coating

American Trim, Rhodes State College, and Dupont CoatingSoulutions set out in January to prove that PVD could be successfully applied to a large part application and meet the OEM requirements of our customer.

This team is happy to announce that the goal has been achieved and we have 4 bumpers in testing since mid-October with our customer - Navistar.

Our team met at the 2008 SEMA Show to present the new developments in PVD. Rick Pfeifer, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, explained that PVD is not new. PVD coatings can be found in many of today’s households on faucets and other fixtures. More recently, PVD is making it’s way onto larger part applications in the automotive world – including exterior trim, wheels and interior trim pieces.

What we have done that is new is applying PVD on a part the size of a truck bumper. More importantly, what is exciting is the potential for cost savings that this new process promises along with an environmentally friendly, credible alternative to traditional hexavalent chrome plating.

PVD Coating

Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), while not a new process, is constantly evolving to better meet the needs of manufacturers today.

PVD Process Improvements

• Large part application
• Increase in volume capability
• Greater flexibility for varied part size/shape
• Installing a PVD line has become more
     economically feasible for companies

PVD Product Benefits

• Metallized finish with the potential for cost reduction versus traditional plating
• Provides a chemical barrier for your product
• Available in many decorative colors
• Coating hardness improves wear resistance
• Reduction in surface friction
• Environmentally friendly and no hazardous chemicals for employees

Largest PVD Chamber

Our PVD chamber is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. which enables our development programs to produce actual parts for further testing and validation. PVD coating can be applied on a variety of substrates including

• aluminum
• steel
• glass
• ceramics
• chrome
• plastics

A PVD Chamber allows for

• PVD coatings on parts with sizes up to 2’ X 2’ X 10’
• PVD as an alternative solution for coating larger parts where traditional chrome has been used
• A faster and potentially less costly chrome plating process
• A totally green coating with no discharge to atmosphere or water because no chemicals are used
• A totally clean production environment with a vacuum chamber for the smoothest finish possible

PVD Coating Process vs Traditional Chrome Plating Process

The chart above demonstrates the savings in processing time and the reduced amount of material that is applied to the part application. American Trim's ability to ultimately form and coat bumpers within our facilities reduces logistics costs.

PVD Coating Solutions are Enviromentally Friendly

We are driving toward a fully green solution.

The process currently used on the PVD coated bumpers is called Gen 1. The Gen 1 coating includes a wet spray top coat. We are working toward a powder top coat that delivers the visual clarity that we require, and improves key performance characteristics including salt spray.

When you add the elements up, we believe we will deliver a triple win by offering customers

• lower cost over traditional chome plating
• a green coating and process
• a coating that can rival wet paint specs

Download PDF of PVD Process Comparison Chart

PVD Coating for Large Part Application

With PVD we can

• Reduced Grind and Polish Operation
• Reduced Processing Time
• Reduced Logistics

We believe PVD will be a game changer in the large part, decorative metal application in process time alone. With the leveling coat that we apply from DuPont CoatingSolutions, we are eliminating up to 3 hours of manual grind and polish operations.

Possible PVD Finishes

A variety of finish colors are possible using the PVD coating process. Finish colors are determined by the target materials used in the PVD chamber. The variety of colors for every target can also vary by adjusting the gas introduced during the process.

Warm metallics such as golds and brass

Shiny silvers and Black

Variety of color possibilities

PVD Coating Process introduced at SEMA