Liquid Nitriding

Liquid Nitriding is one of the pioneering processes carried out to improve the surface properties of Steel & cast iron components. It is a case hardening technology.

PVD Coatings

Physical vapour deposition and plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition (PVD and PACVD) are environmentally-friendly vacuum deposition technologies involving a deposition of material on the surface of the parts to be treated.

Engineered Bushings

HEF bushings are recognized worldwide for their excellent frictional and anti-seizure properties, and ability to withstand high loads.
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PVD Coating Process

Process Overview

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a vaporization coating technique, involving the transfer of material from the Target, Source or Cathode  on an atomic level under vacuum conditions.

The process involves four steps:

(i) evaporation of the material to be deposited by a high energy source such as an electron beam or ions–this evaporates atoms from the surface;
(ii) transport of the vapor to the substrate to be coated;
(iii) reaction between the metal atoms and the appropriate reactive gas (such as oxygen, nitrogen or methane) during the transport stage;
(iv) deposition of very thin & hard coatings such as Chromium nitride, Titanium Nitride etc. at the substrate surface.

The transportation step is through a plasma medium. Plasma is a collection of charged particles, whose constituents can be influenced by magnetic fields and tend to travel in straight lines or "line of sight" from source to substrate.

PVD has several advantages including: 
(i) coatings formed by PVD may have improved properties compared to the substrate material;
(ii) all types of inorganic materials and some types of organic materials can be used;
(iii) the process is environmentally friendly compared to many other processes such as electroplating.

Besides its specific chemical constituents and the architecture of the sub-layers, the properties of a PVD coating depend on: ion energy; the degree of ionization of the metal ions, and mobility of the atoms condensing on the substrate surface. If a source material, such as a hydrocarbon gas, is used, a very hard, ultra low-friction Diamond-like-Carbon (DLC) coating can be deposited. This gas based process is referred to as PACVD - Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition.

There is a broad range of available PVD technologies, including conventional arc deposition and magnetron sputtering, coupled with technology enhancements that yield high deposition rates and thin films with high adhesion and diverse microstructures. HEF PVD coatings are deposited using PEMS technology.

PEMS: Plasma Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering

HEF patented PEMS is a magnetron sputtering process enhanced by an auxiliary plasma source. This triode system allows independent control of material flux, ion energy and substrate bias. PEMS can provide a multitude of high performance coatings with application customized hardness, density and toughness. 

In a strong position because of this control of processes, the HEF Group has developed a series of coatings which cover a very wide area of thin layer applications:

  • Reduction of friction and wear: CERTESS™ CARBON
  • Increase in the lifetime of mechanical parts: CERTESS™ NITRO
  • Electromagnetic shielding on polymers: PROCEM™
  • Aluminium alloy corrosion protection: CORRALU™ V
  • Erosion protection: CERTESS™ BLAST
  • Other surface properties: optical application, decorative application, more particularly on large parts