55 years of CVD coating: great memories and a promising future
Ionbond & Bernex celebrates 55 years of CVD coating excellence from Swiss origins to global innovation. Discover our journey, future vision, and industry impact. Read the full interview to explore how we’re shaping the next chapter in surface technology.
Celebrating 55 years of innovation in CVD surface coating technology
This year, IHI Ionbond is celebrating our 55th anniversary. We started out in 1970 as the Bernex Surface Metallurgy division of the Swiss truck manufacturer Berna, providing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment and coating services. Since then, the equipment making branch has split off into a separate company, IHI Bernex AG, while the expertise in providing coating services has lived on in Ionbond. For our anniversary, we are looking forward to a shared future.
Preparing for the next generation of coatings
Although CVD is an older technology, Ionbond is still constantly developing new coatings and applications for it. “We push the technology forward based on our own ideas,” says Val Lieberman, Ionbond’s Global Segment Manager Industrial Components. “We are pretty successful in that, working together with our colleagues from IHI Bernex to develop more advanced coatings. Especially in the cutting and forming tool market, our customers are very welcoming of new developments. They make them more competitive.”
We also watch out for what is moving in the market, including trends in surface treatments. “That requires working closely with companies in the sector,” says Val. “We need advanced manufacturing for acceptance of new coatings – especially in highly regulated sectors such as aerospace. It is a slow process - coating development for jet engines, for instance, can take years.”
How sustainability and digitalization are changing the field
When developing CVD equipment, IHI Bernex is very mindful of sustainability. Energy consumption and energy efficiency are high on everyone’s agenda – CVD is a high-temperature process, so insulation and process control can help keep energy costs down. The other angle is the chemistry itself: reducing the use of hazardous chemicals, and reducing formation and handling of byproducts. “Our goal is to manage the carbon footprint of the entire technology,” says Hristo Strakov, Head of Technology at IHI Bernex.
Like sustainability, digitalization is also here to stay. IHI Bernex is looking into artificial intelligence to help operate the machines. “We have a couple of projects where we’re working on that concept,” says Hristo. “It’s driven by the market – helping people operate these complex machines and improve our control of the process even further.”
Diversification at IHI Bernex and IHI Ionbond
At IHI Bernex, we’re excited to push the technology more and more each day,” says Hristo. “We’re no longer mainly looking at cutting tool coating solutions, although they are still very important. Industrial components has also grown as a market: these components usually have very complex shapes, which means surface treatment with CVD is one of the keys to success. In addition, our focus is shifting more to the energy sector, medical applications and composite materials. Different challenges, new approaches, even new visions – but we always keep the future in sight.”
At IHI Ionbond, we know very well that diversification is important. The accessible cutting tool market is not that big. Therefore we pursue new, advanced applications in new markets – for instance, the semiconductor industry, jet engines and even space plasma propulsion.
Dr. Val Lieberman
Global Segment Manager Industrial Components
A bright future for an ‘old’ technology
Although CVD itself may be over 100 years old, Bernex and Ionbond are still finding ways to use it to solve new challenges. “I don’t see that coming to an end soon,” says Hristo, “In the next 20 or 25 years, there will be new challenges, new quality requirements, and new breakthroughs.”
“CVD was the first technology that actually offered such surface modification capabilities,” says Val. “And it’s not just going to stay, but will advance. It’s just that good. It can do things that other technologies can’t, like coating on inner diameters or infiltration of porous materials. There are plenty of future applications where CVD can really shine”
Expert Talk: The evolution of CVD coatings – 55 years of innovation
In this engaging Expert Talk, three leading voices in the coating industry, Val Lieberman (Ionbond), Hristo Strakov (Bernex), and Renato Bonetti (former employee & CVD pioneer), come together to reflect on 55 years of progress in CVD coating technology. From early breakthroughs to modern advancements, they share technical insights, personal milestones, and their vision for the future. A rare and insightful conversation that captures the legacy and ongoing evolution of CVD.
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