Surface improvements of industrial components treated by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII): results and prospects

The major drive for PIII research in recent years has been the widespread use of plasma-based ion implantation in industries aiming at attaining high value-added components. After achieving the domain of the complete basic PIII cycle, we started to pursue the implementation of this process in various types of industrial components. A DC glow discharge source with a controlled plasma floating potential was used in a 100-l PIII system driven by a 30-kV peak voltage, 50 μs duration, up to 1.1 kHz pulse power source, in order to process the components which were provided by regional companies, spanning from machinery tools to prosthesis. The industrial components were set-up in the PIII chamber as received from the companies, after a simple cleaning procedure. In this phase, only nitrogen implantation was performed. The required processing times were typically from 60 to 120 min and the components were treated either individually or in batches. Fast steel drill bits, knife blades for wood cutting, tools for odontological applications, molds made of fast steel, a prosthesis made of Ti alloy, etc., have been three-dimensionally implanted successfully. Next, improvements in the PIII ongoing system included: a 10-kW pulser with up to 60 kV capability, turbo-pump, refrigerated walls, auxiliary heating of the components, a larger chamber and a magnetron sputtering source for hybrid treatments.