PVD-coated/TiN-coated finishes for stainless steel plates

The PVD/TiN coating process is increasingly demanded by architects, product designers and a large number of other users – in art, construction, machinery, engineering, etc.

Being an expert when it comes to stainless steel and other metal surface treatments, mirrorINOX naturally focuses heavily on using this physical vapour deposition (PVD) process to predominantly coat stainless steel sheets and other metals, having gained vast expertise with this technology.

The commonly used terms “PVD coating”, “TiN coating” or “titanium nitride coating” refer, in principle, to one and the same process and are used synonymously when it comes to this particular coating of inox metal sheets.

mirrorINOX – Unmatched expertise in stainless steel PVD coating/TiN coating

Stainless steel surface treatment is our core competence. Our specialist staff have been working intensively on this unique coating technology for two decades and are constantly developing new properties and designs for potential new applications and projects.

Our two current PVD-coating lines are configured with the latest tailor-made, state-of-the-art technology. Combining both ensures outstanding results, which place mirrorINOX amongst the world’s top manufacturers:

• Unmatched colour accuracy
• The largest dimensions and geometries
• High capacities and production speed when coating inox sheets and parts

An impressive array of prestigious, exclusive large-scale projects, numerous smaller objects and applications with our stainless steel finishes can be found globally and are a clear testimonial.

What is PVD-coated stainless steel?

The advantages of PVD coating / TiN coating

In contrast to alternative coatings, e.g. galvanic processes, PVD coating/TiN coating uses no toxic or environmentally harmful substances.

Additionally, the extremely thin layers of the coating are very natural in their metallic, vibrant appearance. This sets them apart from alternatives such as wet painting, powder coating or anodized finishes.

Therefore, the PVD coating process is clearly an excellent method to coat substrates. By vapour deposition, not only are physical and technical advantages created, such as an increase in hardness or improvement in corrosion resistance, but also an optically high-quality refinement of these substrates is achieved when coated with the thinner layers.

Coloured PVD-coated/TiN-coated stainless steel

In the case of stainless steel PVD, for example, the coloured surface coatings obtained with the PVD technology not only protect the substrate, but also create fascinating metallic shades which are optically extremely attractive, ranging from:

• Champagne
• Yellow-gold
• Brass
• Rose-gold
• Bronze
• Anthracite
• Black

Those fascinating colours, in combination with various basic surfaces, give the inox steel an exclusive appearance and create brilliant examples of applications in architecture and product design for both indoors and outdoors, such as:

• Building façades
• Lobby and reception areas
• Decorative walls
• Escalators
• Lifts
• Staircases
• Etc.

The process of PVD coating – how does it work?

The PVD/TiN coating of large areas (custom-sized stainless steel plates or other metal sheets) is carried out with the help of arc vapourization, in which the “target material” in the form of a solid is vapourized by means of an arc so that it can subsequently be applied to the sheet or workpiece.

By adapting suitable reactive gases, different temperatures and other machine parameters, the chemical combination of metal and non-metal achieves different colors on the surface of the sheets or workpieces.

PVD coating or TiN coating: what is the difference?

As mentioned earlier, the abbreviation PVD, which stands for “Physical Vapor Deposition” and the term “TiN”, an abbreviation deriving from the chemical compound titanium nitride – a hard metallic material made of titanium and nitrogen, typically of a golden-yellow color – both define the same process of physical vapor deposition in principle and denote the same group of vacuum-based coating processes or thin-layer technologies.

We will happily advise you about these stainless steel finishes and other technical details as well as the possibilities mirrorINOX is able to offer when it comes to the PVD/TiN coating process.