By Nanofilm Technologies International Limited
NTI Nanofilm developed a calibrated PVD sputtering process around the titanium substrate, enclosure geometry and finish requirements. The work integrated surface preparation, coating-layer design, source calibration, custom fixturing and deposition control into one manufacturing process. Each parameter had to remain aligned so that coating adhesion, surface appearance and production repeatability could be maintained together. Through calibration, variation across both chromium and silicon coating sources was brought below 10%. Chromium: variation before calibration 40.94%, variation after calibration 9.51% Silicon: variation before calibration 40.31%, variation after calibration 9.94% By bringing both coating sources into a tighter control window, NTI supported more consistent coating thickness, tone and reflectivity across the production area. Deposition rates were tuned to maintain the appropriate film-growth window rather than maximise speed alone. This helped support smoother surface formation, controlled colour development and lower visible variation between coated components. The process was supported by NTI’s in-house high-volume coating platform, combining component cleaning, fixture engineering, calibrated sputtering, process inspection and outgoing quality control. The optimized platform strengthened production readiness by increasing batch capacity and shortening preparation time between batches, achieving: 20% capacity increase: Up to 1,440 components per batch, compared with the earlier 1,200-component baseline. 90 minutes pumping time: Reduced from 150 minutes to improve production readiness between batches. NTI Nanofilm supports device makers from material evaluation and coating development through process qualification and high-volume manufacturing, helping turn the next material transition into a production-ready product surface.
