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Introducing the Next, Best Thing in coatings - ADLC


Guest avitt

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Ah, OK. That explains it... My searches just didn't happen to yield any DLC companies that weren't using PACVD.

Just to be clear: DLC coatings are also applied using the PVD process.

I think that the important distinction here is PVD vs. PACVD. PVD is a line-of-site process, where the parts must be rotated in the chamber to ensure coverage. With PACVD, the parts essentially act as RF antennas, which receive the carbon from electrically charged chemical vapors.

The characteristics of the PACVD process are good deposition rates, and very uniform coverage (in other words, thick and even coatings). These are the attribute which my samples have exhibited.

The 4000 HV hardness rating is just an added bonus (keep in mind that sapphire has a hardness rating of 4000 HV).

Edited by avitt
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  • 2 weeks later...

OK guys, I'm not avoiding your questions on price and availability (more on that a bit later), but right now I'd like to show you all some more sample parts.

We tried some bracelet parts in two groups:

  1. Disassembled, individual links, and
  2. Assembled sections (representing bracelets that cannot be disassembled)

Here are the results (pictures taked quickly, under direct light...no photo box):

img2237ju1.jpg

img2213ty4.jpg

img2225wm0.jpg

img2212gz2.jpg

The results were very good. The individual links showed excellent coverage on all sides. The asssembled links were perfectly coated on all visible surfaces (top, bottom, sides), but showed some inconsistencies between the links (a slight gradient darkness, but no rainbow effect, as PVD often shows).

There are certainly some compromises involved when coating bracelets, and I don't think it's practical to coat them commercially (too much effort to disassemble, and too much risk of necessary rework). This was just an exercise, to see what the capabilities of the PACVD process are.

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just for reference check this link...

PVD coating for 1.200 - 1.400$... :o

hxxp://www.network54.com/Forum/282106/message/1199960816/FS-+PVD+process+for+your+PAM+cases

That's really epensive, but not quite as bad as it appears, as these prices are in Singapore Dollars, and equate to about 840 - 980 USD.

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Thanks!

...that's what I'm after - Sinister, with a touch of downright evil :ph34r::evil2::ph34r:

So far I've found the whole PVD search a little on the evil side. Would it be correct to say that the color choice for this process is, like DLC, dark gray or slightly darker dark gray? I've been looking for a PVD process other than pretty-rare-these-days TiN that can match the TiN shade OP used for their early PVD watches. I've been getting conflicting infor from PVD shops: a TiAln guy told me "Got to do TiN." Another TiAlN guy told me "sure, I can match it." And a TiN guy told me he couldn't match it becausze it was a different kind of TiN on the OEM crown I gave him!! When I saw this thread I was kind of hoping that there was a way to color match w/ this process, but that's not the case, eh?

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So far I've found the whole PVD search a little on the evil side. Would it be correct to say that the color choice for this process is, like DLC, dark gray or slightly darker dark gray? I've been looking for a PVD process other than pretty-rare-these-days TiN that can match the TiN shade OP used for their early PVD watches. I've been getting conflicting infor from PVD shops: a TiAln guy told me "Got to do TiN." Another TiAlN guy told me "sure, I can match it." And a TiN guy told me he couldn't match it becausze it was a different kind of TiN on the OEM crown I gave him!! When I saw this thread I was kind of hoping that there was a way to color match w/ this process, but that's not the case, eh?

You're right, archibald...This process does not seem to have as much potention for color matching as traditional PVD coating, where there are numerous different compounds, each with their own properties.

You're also correct that this ADLC coating is dark gray in color. (I was told that it's probably possible to get it a little darker, but I'm of the opinion that what you see is what you'll get).

I realize that it's very difficult to judge shades of gray, based on photographs. To help show the true color of this coating, I took the following picture. By using both white and black backgrounds, I think it helps to show the deep gray color (which may have been incorrectly interpreted as true black from my previous pictures).

img2320nc9.jpg

img2305xt1.jpg

img2273mm4.jpg

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Guest avitt

I do have an update.

I suffered a little setback, when the contact that was working with on the Hammy project left the coating industry. As you would assume, a friendly and helpful industry insider is essential when attempting these small scale jobs.

So I've spent the past couple of months identifying alternative coating sources. Ultimately, I turned up two: one who can do ADLC using the PACVD process, and one who can do DLC applied with the PVD process. I have sample parts out to both vendors now, and will post the results when they come back.

On the bright side, both of these vendors have slightly better pricing than the original coater.

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I do have an update.

I suffered a little setback, when the contact that was working with on the Hammy project left the coating industry. As you would assume, a friendly and helpful industry insider is essential when attempting these small scale jobs.

So I've spent the past couple of months identifying alternative coating sources. Ultimately, I turned up two: one who can do ADLC using the PACVD process, and one who can do DLC applied with the PVD process. I have sample parts out to both vendors now, and will post the results when they come back.

On the bright side, both of these vendors have slightly better pricing than the original coater.

Do you have a rough idea of the cost to do a watch case using the PACVD method?

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  • 1 month later...

Great thread, I'll be interested to see hwo this turns out.

I got an unmarked case I want to do with this method or failing that, PVD.

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