This project showcases the engineering ingenuity required before the coating process even begins, focusing on the critical aspect of fixture design for parts with challenging, non-uniform shapes. The success of any PVD application is highly dependent on how the substrate is presented to the plasma source.
Items like golf putters (specifically the head, as shown in the images) have complex contours, deep recesses, and varying angles. The challenge is to design a specialized fixture that holds the part in the coating chamber in a way that allows for maximum, uniform exposure of the entire surface to the coating material. Any area shaded by the fixture or another part will result in an incomplete, poor-quality coating prone to flaking or uneven coverage.
The client’s solution involves designing and manufacturing a specific, custom fixture tailored to the geometry of the golf putter head .
This commitment to bespoke fixturing is crucial for successfully coating special tools or parts and is a key differentiator in PVD quality. The successful coating of both a black finished putter and a bronze/rose gold finished putter demonstrates the versatility and precision of their fixture design process.