alphakazi 0 Posted July 17, 2009 on a continual quest to inform myself, I came across some interesting info many of you already know this but for the noobs like myself, I thought this was a great article : Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) has been around for decades primarily in military applications original designed to decrease friction wear on metal parts. It bonds a micron thick layer of metal compounds to metal or other materials. Why PVD? First off the finish won’t wear off. It reduces wear of bracelets, crowns, bezels, etc. Adds a unique Professional appearance to your timepiece & virtually eliminates reflective glare. As the deposition process is so flexible many industries have begun using the technology. Tooling for example on metal cutting lathes increases the life of all sorts of parts from the lathe bed to the cutting tools themselves. F1, where as many people know is often on the cutting edge of technology in racing has used PVD successfully on transmission gears and engine parts to help those 10,000+ RPM engines increase reliability. Because PVD reduces friction between metal parts less lubrication is necessary and temperatures are generally lower than without coatings. Though PVD coatings are typically only a few microns thick the molecules bond to the surface of the metal in such a way that they are nearly impossible to remove once applied. This long lasting resilience is what makes PVD so attractive for thousands of mechanical applications. How it’s applied PVD is applied in a similar method to electroplating of gold where a current is passed through the part to be coated. While there are many methods for PVD The vacuum coating process is probably the one used by most watch parts manufactures. The parts are sealed in an air tight chamber where a vacuum is created, negative voltage attracts the positive ions and inert gas is introduced which create the environment necessary for the deposition process to occur. The coating compounds are made up of various elements such as carbides, nitrides, borides and silicides. The makeup of the compound varies some depending on what the application necessitates. For example graphite and titanium are often used when friction and temperature reduction are necessary. Before PVD In the early 1980’s and 90’s powder coating and black oxide anodization were the methods of choice for blacking watch parts. Tag Heuer in particular with its Black Coral 1000 series professional watch used a base black anodization with a top powder coating. Powder coating is essentially a bake on paint that is sprayed on to the metal and heat bonded by placing the part in an industrial oven. Powder coat finishes are generally very smooth and hard; however they are thick and chip off over time. Thus the reason for anodizing the parts before powder coat so when the powder coating chips off the bare metal isn’t exposed. Black oxide is similar to anodization and has been used by gunsmiths for over a century to blacken barrels giving that dark matte black finish. Black oxide is generally simple to apply and inexpensive. It requires very few chemicals to apply black oxide however it doesn’t penetrate deep into the metal like PVD or even some types of anodization. Therefore black oxide would not be appropriate for high wear areas on watches such as clasps, and bezel surrounds. Many watch parts manufactures still use black oxide for small parts such as crowns and screws, however anodization is much more common. Newly powder coated watch band Powder coated watch band after 6 years of daily wear. PVD Finishes & results Most PVD is black in color however the underlying finish of the metal can affect the reflective properties. Thus a bead blasted finish will produce a dull deep black appearance, whereas a rough brushed finish may produce a semi glossy finish. The method of metal surface finishing is where you will see a great deal of variance between watch manufactures. Therefore buying an aftermarket Hadley Roma PVD watch bracelet for example will likely look nothing like your Chase Durer Air assault. Image 1. Brushed finished stainless steel. This finish will Image 2. A semi glossy PVD finish is the result of a brushed finish on the base stainless steel. Image 3. Picture of the inside of a clasp before and after PVD plating. Notice the semi polished finish produces a semi matte/ reflective PVD appearance. *the light blue haze is result of a less than clean prep work. Preparing Your Watch for PVD Its fairly easy to prep your watch for PVD plating. Keep in mind however that watches are made up of very small & often delicate parts so use the proper tools and make sure you keep the parts separate. I often take a digital photo of each step of the disassembly process. This often proves to be an invaluable reference at times when you forget what goes where. Requirements: -Parts must be perfectly clean & have a non-polished finish -Scuff any polished areas with 800 wet dry paper -Clean with a degreasing soap -Clean with ultrasonic cleaner if possible -wipe dry and remove dust, seal in non static bag. -Disassemble the watch as much as possible. -Remove bezel inserts, crowns, bands, etc. -Remove case back and movement -Remove all gaskets, crystal, etc. -Remove band from watch, keep end links attached to band -Initial your parts or mark them with an ID number by inscribing them with a graver or tool. *Remember PVD will only coat what the vapor can reach. Watches have lots of sealed off pockets that will not be plated unless removed from the case. Companies Providing PVD Services There are quite a number of companies providing small batch PVD coating services. Most have a minimum batch size or minimum charge and are not interested in handling 1 watch case & band. Also keep in mind that these companies general serve the business community who tend to know exactly what they want. PVD for us watch guys is commonly referred to as cosmetic PVD black finish. I have had some luck paying for a sample batch (1 or 2 pieces) with local PVD coaters however they make their money from large batches that require little to no prep work. Do them a favor if you choose to contact them: Know the terms, have an exact parts count, & be really, really polite. Most have no problem running a batch of 100 pieces. This is only about 15 watches broken down, so its generally much more economical to get a few friends to split a batch with you. On occasion we have PVD work done for a unique custom request. I’m happy to have our watch maker prepare parts for plating. Please contact us if you are interested. * -DCI International 3400 Wentworth Drive S.W. , Grand Rapids , Michigan (MI), 49509, US 815 356 8797 * -Industrial Polishing Services Inc. 9465 Customhouse Plaza , Suite H1 , San Diego , CA 92154 * -Sulzer Metaplas 222 Goldstein Drive Woonsocket , RI 02895 (401) 766-3353 * -IonBond LLC 1598 E. Lincoln , Madison Heights , Michigan (MI), 48071, US 248 398-9100 * -Oerlikon Balzers Coating USA Inc.2803 Landco Drive Bakersfield , CA 93308 Phone 661 322 5566 * -Snappy Materials 34B Barnes Industrial Road South , Wallingford , Connecticut (CT), 06492, US 203-9491600 Copyright 2007 Diversified Collectables Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 996 Posted July 17, 2009 Interesting! Nice find Alpha. Fakey: Now would be a good time for some input mate. You know this subject better than any of us. Col. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RolexAddict 1 Posted July 18, 2009 Fakey doesn't know better than you or me about physical vapor deposition, He just send watch parts to a factory who does the job for him, PVD is like nickel, silver, gold or what else coating, just a coating, please, stop bullshit and mistic talking, A7750 sec.at 6 problems, graphite coating, Chinese 2836-2 copies... PVD coating... ALL THESE CONSIDERATIONS SUCKS new blud, fresh ideas, creativity, thats what we need here, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RolexAddict 1 Posted July 18, 2009 Alpha, sorry, your resarch is very interesting, my answer is not against you, just to stop helping rep watch forums gurus to improve their ego, they are just nuts and idiots who doen't understand nothing about watches, PVD or what else, As I said, we need new ideas and new blud, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alphakazi 0 Posted July 18, 2009 Alpha, sorry, your resarch is very interesting, my answer is not against you, just to stop helping rep watch forums gurus to improve their ego, they are just nuts and idiots who doen't understand nothing about watches, PVD or what else, As I said, we need new ideas and new blud, I understand what you're trying to say RA and I know you have a bone to pick with some of the "forum gurus" - my intention was not to start a heated discussion between repgeeks. Until I read this and a few other articles, I didn't understand PVD at all or for that matter any of the other coatings including AR. Another in depth article explaining this at the molecular level was even more interesting. If I understand you RA, you're an intelligent individual but one that is annoyed with less than excellence and people talking from their asses. Unfortunately, the majority of forum members will fall in this category and we'll need the experts to chime in and iron out the kinks. People want to discuss things they have no idea about - I believe it's the foundation of a forum Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
