New hall: more space at Ionbond Olten

The Ionbond plant in Olten is one of the largest CVD coating centers in Europe, if not the world. Recently, it’s grown even larger, with the inauguration of their new machine hall. In this article, we talk to Robert Jäggi, Country Manager, about the expansion of the coating capacity and his plans for the future.

Room for several new machines

“We’re very happy with the new plant,” says Robert. “It has about 20% more capacity than the old one. We’ve installed a new machine and are currently migrating all our old machines. When that’s done, we’ll have room to grow even further.”

With the new machine and new plant, the Olten team will be able to take on more jobs at the same high service level. The new CVD machine significantly increased the weekly output at Ionbond Olten, with ten more batches per week. The new machine has more precise temperature control, so it can coat even more accurately. It also has a broader range of coating recipes it can deposit.

New CVD machine at Ionbond Olten

Ready for new challenges

With the new hall, new company strategy and new machine, there are many chances to serve customers from Europe and beyond. “It’s important to keep diversifying our business,” says Robert. “That keeps our revenue and investment schedule steady. If one sector has a peak or a lull, we can compensate our work with orders from the other ones. We are already experts in a number of sectors, such as machining tools, industrial components, the Swiss luxury watch industry and aerospace. Business is booming locally, for instance in the semiconductor industry.”

Robert’s vision is to go into the medical sector next. Ionbond Switzerland has already been supplying PVD coatings for the medical industry for 20 years, and there is a market for CVD as well. Robert: “Especially for artificial joints, like knee joints or hips and cups. We’re currently working towards achieving the necessary certifications, which is a strategic priority.”

CVD is also an excellent coating technology for the potential growth markets of additive manufacturing and the use of composite materials. It can coat hollow and porous materials, unlike other important coating technologies. If a boom comes in these industries, Ionbond Olten is well-positioned to serve customers in need of coatings.

Interested in working with Ionbond Olten?

If you’re interested in the wide range of CVD coatings and expertise of Ionbond Olten? Contact our Ionbond Switzerland experts to discuss your specific application details. We have a wide range of standard coatings, and a highly specialized engineering team ready to develop custom coatings for you.