Metal strip coating by electron beam PVD—industrial requirements and customized solutions

During the last few years, the thin film applications in the metallurgical industries have been extended widely. Besides the aim of corrosion protection of strip steel, many coating tasks became an urgent issue, i.e., optical coatings, catalytic coatings, protection coatings, and other functional coatings on various metal strips as stainless steel strips, copper strips, and aluminium strips. aper compares high-rate electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) of Al, Ni, and SiO2 as large-area processes for highly productive coating lines. The coating processes are discussed facing their application background. Special attention will be given to the substrate layer system regarding adhesion, thermal load, and layer thickness accuracy. Industrially relevant productive solutions will be presented.