Gencoa Coating Development Facility

Gencoa develops innovative thin-film materials and coatings using magnetron sputtering and other PVD technologies, delivering responsive support for everything from simple coating requirements to complex multi-stage coating development projects.

Samples Our expertise spans sectors including decorative coatings, semiconductors, tooling, automotive, electronics, and optical coatings, alongside advanced functional surface technologies such as biocidal coatings, barrier coatings, and tailored surface wettability, with all coating work conducted from a well-equipped coating development facility.

We specialise in coating solutions for applications in harsh environments across aerospace, defence and security, nuclear fission and fusion, and energy storage, where durability, reliability, and resistance to wear, corrosion, and extreme temperatures are critical to long-term material performance.

Samples Supported by an experienced team of highly qualified scientists and engineers, our solutions combine engineering, materials science, thin-film analysis, plasma process development, and advanced process control to address complex technical challenges.

Services range from one-off single or multi-layer coating applications, to comprehensive coating development programmes covering feasibility studies, material development, process optimisation, and scale-up.

Gencoa's coating development supports each stage from concept to pilot production, as well as single coating jobs.

Whether your application requires enhanced wear resistance, improved corrosion protection, advanced tribological performance, or reliable operation in extreme environments, Gencoa deliver prompt and bespoke coating solutions tailored to specific performance requirements.

Coating Equipment

Gencoa's Coating Development Facility includes a suite of material-development coating systems for depositing on coupons, semiconductor wafers, and both 2D and 3D components. Larger batch and inline sputtering coating systems are available for reproducibility studies, process validation, and pilot production trials.

Samples A 1.5m-source batch coater accommodates up to seven vertically mounted cathodes and is particularly suited to multilayer, multi-material, and doped coatings on 3D components. The inline coating system, equipped with a load-lock chamber to support higher throughput operation, can coat flat substrates up to 600mm wide, making it ideal for glass, polymers, and other sheet materials.

Advanced vacuum monitoring, process control, and reactive sputtering technologies are integrated across all coating platforms, with DC, pulsed DC, AC, RF, HiPIMS, and Cathodic Arc power options available to suit a wide variety of processes. Each system is also equipped with appropriate plasma cleaning and substrate preparation capabilities to ensure optimal substrate surface activation and coating adhesion.

Material Characterisation and Testing

Samples Comprehensive in-house characterisation capabilities enable rapid assessment of coating composition, properties, and performance throughout the development process.

Facilities include SEM imaging with EDX elemental analysis, profilometry, sheet resistance measurements, adhesion testing, optical characterisation, abrasion and friction testing, and hardness evaluation.

For more specialised analytical requirements, Gencoa collaborate with key research institutes and universities, providing access to advanced characterisation techniques and materials testing capabilities when required.

Get in touch to discuss your coating challenge

From simple coating solutions, exploration of a new coating concept, optimisation of an existing process, or evaluating a route to pilot production, Gencoa can help. Contact our team at [email protected] to discuss your requirements.