PVD stands for Physical Vapour Deposition. It is a process where metal surfaces (Hinges, Pull Handles, Lever Handles) are placed inside a vacuum chamber and coated in a thin layer of hard-wearing metals such as Zirconium
EuroArt PVD coating on door hardware provides more resistance against corrosion and scratch as compared to products coated using an electroplating process. Most coatings on products using our PVD process have high-temperature durability for exterior weather conditions and good impact strength, excellent abrasion resistance, and higher durability which reduces the requirements of a protective topcoat. The finish is both highly durable and elegant.
The PVD coating process involves the following stages:
1. Individual products which are either brass or stainless steel base, are hung on strings and put through a cleaning process. Chemicals are used to prepare the surface for coating.
2. After drying, the parts are placed in a PVD chamber where reactive gases such as nitrogen and acetylene are used with certain metals to form a thin, metal alloy that coats the required products.
3. They are then removed from the chamber after cooling down and a QA/QC process is done to verify that the coating is uniform and no air bubbles are formed during the coating process.
EuroArt PVD finish is made of two coatings. The base coating is 6?m (0.006 mm) PVD-black thick. This is equivalent to the hardness of a lot of natural base metals. After the PVD deposit, the second coating of 20~30?m (0.02~0.03mm) thickness of transparent colored lacquer, (baking lacquer) is done. The surface hardness of this technique of PVD coating is 3000HV as compared to the surface hardness by traditional plating of 800HV (measured as pe Vickers Hardness Test).
Maintenance of PVD Black finish
PVD treated door furniture is recommended for areas subject to harsh climatic conditions. The PVD treated door hardware products are resistant to salt spray which makes them more ideal for use in external applications compared to lacquered or painted metal that tend to tarnish fairly quickly.
The PVD coating on stainless steel base material makes it more resistant to scratch, however, it does not make it completely scratch proof. PVD coated products are virtually maintenance free and are guaranteed not to discolour.
Periodic cleaning of PVD coated products may be performed with a soft cloth dampened with water, without using particularly aggressive detergents. As with any metal finish the more regularly the item is cleaned, the longer its looks and quality will last. However, like any surface, if a deliberate attempt to scratch/damage the surface is made, it will get scratched.
At EuroArt, we provide a comprehensive line of door hardware, including an exclusive range of mortoise locks, lever handles, Cylinders, hinges and accessories. Our manufacturing and production process guarantees a strict quality management system and compliance to the highest standards.
