Duralar Launches DualArmor Technology

Advanced, ultra-hard metal coating system developer Duralar Technologies, based in Tucson, USA, has introduced the Duralar® CS-50 deposition system. The CS-50 can coat both the inner and outer surfaces of metal parts using a proprietary process called DualArmor™. Duralar CTO Tom Casserly stated, "The CS-50 system features a processing chamber in the shape of a tube that opens like a lid, and metal parts can be placed inside for coating." "DualArmor coating uses a unique Hollow Cathode PECVD process to expose parts to an extremely dense plasma - roughly 1000 times denser than standard CVD plasma - enabling parts to be coated at unprecedented high rates. Additionally, this chamber spray-type technology eliminates line-of-sight limitations on coatings. Since all deposition occurs within the dense plasma, all part surfaces—interior, exterior, and complex 3D geometries—are coated with high efficiency, eliminating the need for post-process rework."

Duralar's new CS-50 system produces ultra-hard metal coatings

Duralar's DualArmor™ technology coats both the interior and exterior of metal parts. Casserly explained that Duralar's PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) process creates a pendulum-like motion of high-energy electrons that move back and forth between the chamber's edges, acting as an anode on both sides of the chamber. High-energy ionized gases within the chamber are used to clean, create an adhesive bond, and apply ultra-hard coatings to parts. The CS-50's unprecedented deposition rate enables the use of thicker hard coatings than were previously technically or commercially feasible. Traditionally, the practical maximum thickness limit for conventional DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coatings is approximately 5 μm. However, new Duralar DLC coatings can be 50 μm or thicker. In conventional DLC coatings, one or two atoms are deposited simultaneously, so completing a process with 1 μm of DLC can take more than 8 hours. Duralar's new DualArmor technology can rapidly deposit high-quality DLC at fast rates (typically 15-20 μm per hour) with very high throughput capacity. The company notes that the new DualArmor coatings can provide 5 to 10 times greater hardness than carbon steel and 10,000 times more wear resistance than 304 stainless steel. The coatings feature high wear and erosion resistance and a coefficient of friction of <0.08, making them nearly frictionless. Due to their carbon content, the coatings provide natural lubricity that can eliminate the need for oils or other lubricants in some applications. All Duralar coatings are recognized as chemically inert, benign, and environmentally friendly products.