Our surface engineering program provides contract R&D and coating services for the practical treatment of materials and components using energetic ion beams.
Ion beams and plasmas, sometimes used in conjunction with coatings, provide an extensive range of surface engineering possibilities to protect material surfaces from:
- Corrosion
- Wear
- Fatigue failure
- Fretting
- Oxidation
Surface Engineering Processes & Capabilities
Processes include ion implantation of gaseous ions and ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) of metals, ceramics, and diamond-like carbon (DLC). The SwRI surface engineering capabilities are used by:
- Manufacturers
- Utility companies
- Biomedical industry
- Government agencies
Projects range from small-batch, single-day processing jobs to long-term research and development projects. SwRI has two capabilities that allow non-line-of-sight coating and surface modification of materials with higher throughput and potentially lower cost:
- Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII)
- Plasma Immersion Ion Processing (PIIP)
The versatility of the "plasma" approach to surface modification allows the use of any gas with the same equipment.
Surface Engineering Facilities
Ten vacuum chambers, each approximately 6 feet long and 4 feet in diameter, allow processing of either large tooling or hundreds of smaller items. These surface engineering resources are currently being used to address client needs in a wide variety of areas including:
- Friction and wear reduction in metal and ceramic components
- Biocompatible and catalytic coatings
- Treatments for corrosion and oxidation resistance