Perhaps you’ve heard of physical vapour deposition or “PVD” and have wondered what it is. You may be a car enthusiast who knows that PVD exists. However, you aren’t sure what PVD looks like, its durability properties, or whether it is right for you. You may not even know much about PVD. But if your car is your passion and you want to make a difference in how it looks, this product can help.
Let’s first take a look back. What is the point of Wheel Craft talking about PVD on our blog? Our people are focused on one goal: To deliver the best quality, most beautiful, and most durable handcrafted finishes for BMW, Lexus and Infiniti original equipment factory wheels.
The next-generation finishes of Wheel Craft are stunning in appearance and texture. For many years, their advanced protection properties have provided unrivalled durability for beauty and performance.
Wheel Craft uses PVD to finish the wheel. The PVD metallic material can be applied. It is a physical process, not a chemical one, so it is inherently cleaner than chemical applications.
PVD isn’t a new technology. It has been around for over a century. PVD, a popular vacuum coating process that increases product durability and resistance to corrosion, is widely used today. Popular PVD targets include tools, blades, moulds, dies, and decorative pieces. Technically, PVD applications are microscopic releases and collisions that transform the material into atomic particles. These are then applied to the target substrates (e.g. wheels) in a vacuum environment, which creates a physical finish by accumulating the projected Atoms.
We offer PVD chrome colour options for our Black ICE, Bright ICE, and Midnight Ice custom wheels. There are many ways to apply PVD, as mentioned above. We use a surface application process called Sputtering. This process is ideal for materials with high melting points that can’t evaporate. Using a plasma-based coating process, it creates a magnetically-confined plasma near the target surface. The positively charged, energetic ions from the target material collide there. The target atoms are then “sputtered” onto the substrate.
What are the advantages of applying PVD to your luxury custom-finished wheels? Again, PVD applications by Wheel Craft, a leading provider, are more durable and resistant to corrosion than electroplating, an alternative process. Furthermore, PVD is typically more eco-friendly than traditional painting and electroplating. There’s more to it:
- The PVD process forms an inseparable connection with the alloy wheel to provide a longer-lasting finish.
- PVD is very easy to clean. It requires only soap and water.
- You can repair PVD. Wheel Craft professionals can repair any damage caused by scraping your wheels on the curb. They will also be able to strip your car down and make it showroom-ready. Traditional chrome is not able to do this.
- Wheel Craft offers a 5-year warranty on our PVD finish.