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Coating Low and Medium Alloy Steels

The most serious limitation of hard coating technology is the need for high temperatures during the process – 500 °C for PVD and 600-1,000 °C for CVD and PACVD. SSC succeeded in lowering these process temperatures to 300-450 °C, while maintaining excellent adhesion and coating performance on high alloy tool steels, nickel-based superalloys and titanium that maintain their heat-treated hardness and strength at these temperatures.

The majority of steels used in the construction of weapons, planes, helicopters and ground vehicles start to lose hardness and strength acquired through heat treatment at approx. 180 °C and the ‘holy grail’ in this field of technology is to find ways to apply high performance coatings at temperatures lower than this value. SSC is developing a hybrid technology that has potential to do that. The applications are very numerous, in manufacturing and depot repair of weapons (e.g.- revolver guns, mechanisms for machine guns and large caliber artillery pieces, etc), power transmissions (especially for helicopters and ground vehicles) and other wear parts in mechanisms. Fatigue life control and the addition of dry lubricants in these coatings will provide the same advantages as previously mentioned. Capability for emergency lubrication has particular significance for the safety of damaged helicopters.