Low-Temperature Ceramic Coating Adhesion via Blasting and Smoothing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional ceramic coating methods for metal products face challenges such as deformation, dimensional changes, increased costs, and insufficient adhesion strength at low temperatures, leading to delamination issues with ceramic films.

Innovation Solution

A method involving blasting with spherical shot of #300-500 hardness, followed by a smoothing step to create micro-concavities and polish one-third to two-thirds of the surface, and a low-temperature ceramic coating step using PVD, CVD, or PCVD techniques to enhance adhesion and prevent delamination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If high-temperature TRD or CVD method is used for ceramic coating, then adhesion strength and throwing power of thin film are improved, but treatment temperature reaches tempering temperature or higher causing deformation and dimensional change of metal product

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion strength of ceramic filmVSAvoiddimensional accuracy of metal product
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies blasting treatment before ceramic coating to pre-modify the metal surface, creating micro-concavities and increasing surface area. This preliminary action enables low-temperature ceramic coating to achieve sufficient adhesion without requiring high treatment temperatures that would cause deformation, thus resolving the contradiction between adhesion strength and dimensional accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the surface morphology parameter by introducing micro-concavities through blasting, which increases the effective surface area and mechanical interlocking capability. This parameter change allows the ceramic coating to achieve high adhesion at lower temperatures, avoiding the deformation problem while maintaining strong bonding

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If PVD method is used for low-temperature ceramic coating, then deformation and dimensional change of metal product are avoided, but adhesion strength and throwing power of thin film are inferior

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedimensional accuracy of metal productVSAvoidadhesion strength of ceramic film
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention performs blasting treatment as a preliminary step before PVD coating, modifying the metal surface to create micro-concavities. This preliminary action compensates for the inherently weak adhesion of PVD method by providing mechanical interlocking features, enabling low-temperature coating to achieve sufficient adhesion without sacrificing dimensional accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates localized micro-concavities on the metal surface through blasting, providing enhanced adhesion properties specifically at the coating-substrate interface. This local quality enhancement allows the ceramic film to achieve strong bonding in critical areas while the overall coating process remains low-temperature, preserving the metal product's dimensional accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If low-temperature TRD or CVD method is used for ceramic coating, then treatment temperature is reduced to about 500°C to 600°C avoiding deformation, but adhesion strength of thin film is insufficient causing delamination

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedimensional accuracy of metal productVSAvoidadhesion strength of ceramic film
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies blasting treatment before low-temperature TRD or CVD coating to pre-condition the metal surface with micro-concavities. This preliminary action provides mechanical interlocking capability that compensates for the insufficient adhesion inherent in low-temperature processes, enabling the ceramic film to bond strongly without requiring high temperatures that would cause deformation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the surface morphology parameter by creating micro-concavities through blasting, which increases the effective bonding area and mechanical interlocking. This parameter change allows low-temperature ceramic coating to achieve sufficient adhesion strength while maintaining treatment temperature below 650°C, preventing deformation and delamination

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The method increases the adhesion strength of ceramic films, reduces delamination, and extends the service life of the films by creating a nano-crystallized surface layer that allows for effective penetration and diffusion of ceramic components at low temperatures, maintaining hardness and compressive stress.

Implementation Method 1

a blasting step in which spherical shot of # 300-500 according to JIS 6001, the shot having hardness equal to or higher than hardness of a base material of a metal product, is intermittently ejected in the form of a fluid mixed with compressed air onto the metal product

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectShot peening: Shot Peening

Implementation Method 2

In the PVD method, which is one of the vapor deposition method for depositing a thin film on a surface of a product to be treated without chemical reaction, a solid raw material is used as a raw material of the thin film, vaporized by energy of heat or plasma, and condensed on the surface of the product to be treated to form the thin film

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhysical vapor deposition: Physical Vapour Deposition

Implementation Method 3

In the CVD method, source gas including a component of a desired thin film is supplied onto a substrate material heated in a reaction tube to form the thin film by chemical reaction on a surface of a substrate or in a vapor phase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectChemical vapor deposition: Chemical Vapour Deposition

Implementation Method 4

In the PCVD method, a gaseous raw material is continually supplied to a reaction chamber under reduced pressure and molecules are brought to an excited state by plasma energy to form a thin film on a substrate by vapor phase reaction, substrate surface reaction, or the like

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPlasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition: Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

Data Source

PatentEP3054027B1Method for enhancing adhesion of low-temperature ceramic coating
Publication Date: 2020.03.25 FUJI KIHAN CO LTD
  • EP3054027B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3054027B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3054027B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a method for enhancing adhesion of low-temperature ceramic coating in which a ceramic film with high adhesion strength can be formed on a metal product with the low-temperature ceramic coating. The method comprises: a blasting step comprising mixing substantially spherical shot having three or more approximate but different particle sizes, the shot having hardness equal to or higher than hardness of a base material of the metal product, and intermittently ejecting the shot with compressed air onto the metal product; a smoothing step comprising polishing a surface to be treated of the metal product to form smooth portions; and a low-temperature ceramic coating step comprising forming the ceramic film on the surface of the metal product at equal to or lower than tempering temperature of the base material, wherein the blasting and smoothing steps are carried out before the low-temperature ceramic coating step.