Einrichtung zur Vakuumbeschichtung von Gleitlagern

The installation serves for providing sliding bearings with at least one intermediate coating and at least one anti friction coating. It consists of a row of vacuum chambers separated from one another by vacuum valves or pressure stages, with at least one chamber functioning as an airlock for entry and exit of bearings. The installation is characterized by the following facts: (a) bearings (3) are held by an adjustable force in carriers (2) whose temperature is controllable; (b) there are (in the transport direction of the installation) at least an airlock chamber (5), a preliminary treatment chamber (7), a first coating chamber (9), a second coating chamber (11) and an airlock chamber (19); (c) the control unit ensures that the speed of the carriers (2) corresponds to the process requirements in each chamber; (d) the chamber (9) contains a magnetron sputtering source (10), while the chamber (11) is provided with an electron beam evaporator (16); (e) the installation includes buffer re gions (12, 18) before and after the electron beam evaporation station. USE - The installation may be used for coating glass substrates. ADVANTAGE - Bearings can be provided with several coatings of different thicknesses and materials at high rates and at low costs.