Sharp Edges Stay Sharp For Fewer Switch Outs 

If you have a part that requires a sharp edge, such as a blade, forget about using those other guys offering traditional PVD coating. Traditional PVD coating creates a teardrop effect on the cutting edge, affecting product quality.   SurfTech’s nanotechnology-based, PVD coating process can coat sharp edges without the teardrop effect.    

Increase Blade Life by Up To 50 Times 

SurfTech’s low temperature, nanotechnology PVD coating means: 

• Uniform Blade Coating of Up-Sharp Edge – No Post Process Sharpening or Grinding 
• Won’t Leech Cobalt or Cause Brittleness 
• Coat High Polished Surfaces 
• Application Specific Coatings Available, “made to order” 

Since the nanostructured treatment is built with individual atomic layers at a time, SurfTech has a higher degree of control over treatment thickness resulting in tighter tolerance. SurfTech treatments perfectly conform to the component’s surface because of the controlled use of plasma beams to precisely conform the nanostructures to the surface topography without changing the fine sharp cutting edges on tools.  

Up Close: Blade With SurfTech PVD Coating

Photo: A close-up of a cross section of a razor blade with SurfTech coating. The cutting edge of a razor blade at 500x with a coating thickness of 1.5 µm, shows excellent uniformity. The thickness of 1.5 µm shows the retention of the edge and the retention of the blade sharpness. Sharpness and coating uniformity to the form of the blade.

How One Customer Saved Hassle and Downtime Costs 

One SurfTech customer now uses PVD-coated industrial razor blades to cut potato chip bags.   The uncoated blades required the production line to be shut down every hour so the blades could be changed—that’s eight to ten shutdowns in a single shift.    The same blades—now coated with PVD—only need to be changed at the end of every shift—that’s 10 times longer life.   Yes, the coated razor blades are more expensive than the cheap throwaways they previously used. However, the extra cost is more than made up by how much they are saving through fewer production line shutdowns and machine downtime.