Getting to the root of observations at the Surface Analysis Lab
The Ionbond Surface Analysis lab is part and parcel of our customers’ success in industrial components. The lab is staffed by an experienced team with highly creative problem-solving skills. Read on to find out how they work!
Ionbond Surface Analysis lab
Ionbond is involved in highly sophisticated technical projects, from plasma thrusters to high-precision machine components and everything in between. Part of the success of all applications, and therefore our customers’ success, depends on our ability to analyze what we produce – with speed, breadth and clarity. That is why we have many excellent labs in our global network.
Today, the spotlight is on the Ionbond Surface Analysis lab in Dulliken, Switzerland, staffed by a 4-person team who are all experts in their own right.
Supporting the success of Ionbond customers
Andreas Göb, head of the lab, and his team spend their time supporting Ionbond customers as well as Ionbond development projects in several ways. An important part is quality control on all produced batches, to see if the specified coating properties like layer thickness, surface roughness or adhesion of the coating on the substrate comply with the specification. Depending on the application and the workpiece material, substrate hardness is also measured to prove that it was not affected by the deposition temperature. If everything meets specifications, a certificate of conformity is issued by the lab.
Another critical aspect of the work is failure analysis and learning from it, whether the failure is a visible coating delamination, detectable immediately after processing or feedback from customers about product performance. Andreas: “Since we have the analytical capabilities and expertise, customers come to us to help them figure out how to resolve these issues – whether they arise before, during or after coating.”
“Coatings for these applications require a lot of front-end research and qualification before they can be brought to market, and the Dulliken lab is an absolutely critical asset to support these activities.”
Finally, the Surface Analysis lab supports Ionbond engineers in R&D and qualifying new coatings. The lab often has to deal with expensive precision components that go into complex assemblies in various industries – from semiconductor tools to luxury watches to highly productive manufacturing applications.
Dr. Val Lieberman
Director de segmento mundial Componentes
Analysis capabilities at the Surface Materials lab
The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art analysis techniques for destructive and nondestructive testing. Andreas: “Because we often work with expensive products, all routine destructive tests are done on witness parts that receive the same treatment as the real parts. Occasionally, especially when we are solving a problem, customers will give us permission to cut into the actual component.”
Available analytical capabilities:
Thickness measurement
Ball crater technique, metallographic cross section technique, confocal microscopy
Surface roughness
Confocal microscopy
Hardness
HRC Rockwell indenter
Nano hardness
Hardness by nano indentation (HIT)
Adhesion test
Rockwell and scratch tester
Failure analysis
FE-scanning electron microscopy (SEM), special metallographic techniques
Chemical analysis
Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) for chemical analysis
Roughness
Tactile and optical options
Wear and friction
Measurements in reciprocating conditions
Complex analyses require a top expert team
These analyses are done by a highly experienced lab team, with expertise in materials science and analytical methods. Andreas: “Our work, and especially failure analysis, requires creativity, delicacy, experience and skepticism. You always need to question yourself and avoid any bias related to past experiences. Are you making the right assumptions? Do the numbers make sense? It is also critical to have access to information on how the part in question is used in the field, how it was assembled or handled and treated prior to appearance of the problem.”
Andreas himself has almost 30 years’ experience, gained in the automotive, electrical engineering, semiconductor and medical sectors, of which 20 years in failure analysis. Val: “Andreas has seemingly seen all the failure modes and has a profound knowledge of analytical methodologies. That means he has a big mental database of previous cases that he may draw from. We often call his lab ‘CSI Dulliken’. With this experience, he can find good solutions for virtually any situation – and very fast, too.”
Case study: the mysterious discoloration
A customer requested Ionbond to assess dark spots on an Ionbond coating on a large tube-like component of a complicated assembly. The component had been exposed to an aggressive environment, so the worry was it had attacked the coating and that this had led to the formation of the dark spots. “Because the component was so big,” recalls Andreas, “I cut out several of the black spots for analysis in our SEM to determine the composition by EDX. I detected the presence of some unusual chemistry that did not belong to either the coating or substrate. After receiving additional information from the customer on how the component was assembled, I could conclude that these black spots originated from the mating part, which was operated at an excessive temperature. The EDX data nicely confirmed this hypothesis. Fortunately, the TiN coating itself was entirely intact under the discoloration. This important fact was proved by a subsequent metallographic investigation of several of those spots.”
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Dr. Val Lieberman
Director de segmento mundial Componentes
Dr. Val Lieberman
Director de segmento mundial Componentes
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