PVD coatings for textile machine components

Abstract In the past, the development of physical vapour deposition (PVD) coatings has been concentrated on the area of cutting materials for the metal machining industry. These coatings have not yet been applied in the textile industry, where oxide ceramic materials are predominantly used for thread-contacting machine elements. In comparison with conventional materials for thread-contacting machine elements, the PVD coating has considerable advantages. Thus, investigations have shown that PVD-coated surfaces can be better adapted to the processes than can conventional materials. At the moment, coating abrasion or coating failure are hurdles which still have to be overcome before PVD coatings can be used in textile engineering on a broad basis. The service life potential of the hard material coating is not exhausted. Further investigations have to be conducted in this area.