Sustainably and Economically Coating 3D Components with Titanium

Singulus Technologies has developed a new layer system with titanium for sustainable coatings with the DECOLINE II production line. The innovative coating process reduces the necessary production steps and is, therefore, significantly more economical. Substrates made of glass no longer need to be lacquered with this process that uses titanium, as the coloring takes place during metallization. The coating process offers a choice of six basic metallic colors and mixed variants thereof: silver, bronze, gold, violet, blue, and green. These colors can be individually selected by different parameters during metallization. Even on plastic substrates, one of the two coating steps normally required can be omitted. This reduces the number of layers, and significantly simplifies the process. Components with a diameter of up to 68 or 90 mm and a length of 130 mm can be coated with the process.

The process is particularly sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economical. No solvents, chemicals, or organic coatings are required for most substrates. The energy required for the coating process is significantly lower than for anodizing, painting, or electroplating. Complex and cost-intensive painting steps can be completely or partially eliminated.

This process integrates the vacuum metallization (cathode sputtering) as well as all lacquering and pre-processing steps in a single production run. Due to its high degree of automation, a single employee can operate the system. Not only components made of plastics, but also glass and metal, can be coated. For the product design, the clean vacuum coating offers attractive combination possibilities. The process of 3D-coating is completely chrome IV-free and energy-efficient. Due its flexibility, this process offers the opportunity to finish diverse products made from plastics and glass with a wide range of different colors to the cosmetics sector. The DECOLINE II also provides sustainable coating of 3D parts for automotive, as well as further consumer applications.

The inline sputtering system, Polycoater, works as a central component of the entire line and is offered to the market as a stand-alone product. In comparison to the production, this solution automates the production process and significantly reduces production costs with the short cycle times of around six seconds per substrate carrier. Depending on the product size, a substrate carrier can transport up to 18 parts through all the processing stations at the same time.

Singulus Technologies develops and assembles machines and systems for efficient and resource-saving production processes that are used worldwide in the photovoltaics, semiconductor, medical technology, packaging, glass and automotive, as well as battery and hydrogen markets.