Fraunhofer Institute for Electron BeamFor 25 years, the multifunctional MAXI coating line at Fraunhofer FEP has shown how sustainable surface solutions can be developed efficiently. Today, upgraded electronics, enhanced inspection tools, new plasma-assisted processes and close cooperation with HIB I Automation GmbH are preparing MAXI for the next decades.
Sustainable surface technology is a key lever for conserving resources in industry. Functional coatings extend product lifetime by improving corrosion resistance, wear behavior and surface functionality, while the environmental footprint of the coating processes themselves must be kept low. Fraunhofer FEP addresses both aspects with environmentally friendly processes and multifunctional pilot equipment – above all with its in-line vacuum coating equipment for sheets and metal strips – MAXI.
Commissioned in 2000, the MAXI was conceived as a flexible long term platform rather than a single purpose tool. The modular and unique system with eight chambers supports both sheet to sheet and roll to roll processing of metal strips, plates, plastics, glass and ceramics. Different steps such as heating, ion etching, high rate EB PVD, pulsed magnetron sputtering, other PVD and PECVD processes as well as thermal post treatment can be combined in variable sequences. Integrated in situ analytics, including X-ray fluorescence and optical layer thickness monitoring, enable robust and reproducible processes.
This multifunctionality itself contributes significantly to sustainability. Existing infrastructure – vacuum pumps, power and gas supplies, cooling, process control and metrology – is continually reused across a wide range of projects. Instead of building new special purpose equipment, Fraunhofer FEP reconfigures the MAXI tool for changing R&D demands. This reduces investment and ramp up times, saves materials and energy and minimizes waste.
Over the years, MAXI has enabled a broad spectrum of applications: ZnMg based corrosion protection layers on steel strip, transparent and decorative SiO2 and Al2O3 based coatings, hard and tribological TiN and TiAlN films, high surface area powders for capacitors, thick aluminium alloy layers for modern bearing shells, back contacts for solar cells, coatings for battery and fuel cell components as well as inline processes for graphene and carbon nanotubes.
After 25 years of reliable operation, the MAXI tool is being comprehensively modernized. The control electronics and automation are renewed, the XRF inspection system is upgraded and the platform is prepared for new plasma assisted coating methods, including anodic arc evaporation for diamond like carbon films. A key element of this upgrade is the collaboration with HIB I Automation GmbH, which contributes advanced control and automation solutions. In this way, MAXI will remain a central platform for developing sustainable surface technologies under near industrial conditions in the years to come.