Non-stick Coating for Vacuum System Secondary Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cleaning methods for undesired coatings in vacuum coating systems are time-consuming and cause material wear, leading to high maintenance costs and reduced process reliability due to strong adhesion of coatings to secondary surfaces.
Innovation Solution
Applying a non-stick layer composed of a powder suspension in a volatile solvent, such as graphite in isopropanol, to secondary surfaces before the coating process to reduce adhesion and facilitate easy removal of coatings during the PVD process without affecting the target surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional cleaning methods (sandblasting, grinding, chemical decoating) are used to remove undesired coatings from secondary surfaces, then the coating material can be removed, but the cleaning process becomes very time-consuming and causes material wear
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a non-stick layer to secondary surfaces before the coating process. This preliminary action prevents the coating material from adhering strongly to the secondary surfaces, making subsequent cleaning much faster and eliminating material wear from abrasive cleaning methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-stick layer acts as an intermediary between the coating material and the secondary surface. This intermediate layer reduces adhesion, allowing the coating material to be easily removed without directly contacting and wearing down the secondary surface.
2Ease of manufacture
If abrasive cleaning processes are used to remove undesired coatings, then cleaning can be achieved, but additional heavy material wear occurs leading to high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
By applying the non-stick layer before coating, the invention eliminates the need for abrasive cleaning processes. The preliminary protective layer ensures that coating material does not adhere strongly, allowing for gentle, non-abrasive cleaning methods that do not cause material wear.
3Loss of substance
If mechanical post-processing is used to clean secondary surfaces, then coating removal is possible, but process reliability decreases due to loss of mechanical tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The non-stick layer serves as a sacrificial intermediary that protects the secondary surface from mechanical damage during cleaning. This intermediate layer absorbs the cleaning action, preventing loss of mechanical tolerances and maintaining process reliability.
4Loss of substance
If chemical decoating processes are used to remove coatings, then cleaning can be performed, but the process becomes complex and requires additional resources
Solution Approach 1:
The non-stick layer is applied in advance to prevent strong adhesion of coating material. This preliminary protective measure eliminates the need for complex chemical decoating processes, allowing for simple mechanical removal methods instead.
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
Significantly simplifies the cleaning process by allowing for easy suction and wiping of coatings, reducing cleaning time from 20 minutes to a few minutes, and extends the lifespan of components by preventing wear, while maintaining electrical conductivity and vacuum safety.
Implementation Method 1
The volatile solvent must not form any chemical compound with the powder used or the treated surface. The use of a volatile solvent as the carrier medium for the suspension ensures that the solvent has already completely evaporated immediately after the spraying process and only a slightly adhering layer of powder remains on the surface.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a pretreatment method to be applied to secondary surfaces in coating systems prior to coating. To this end, a non-stick coating is applied to the secondary surfaces, which can be easily detached from the secondary surfaces, even after coating material has been deposited thereon. In this way, the cleaning process of the coating system after the coating process is considerably simplified.