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Oerlikon Balzers expands Diamond Coating to meet growing demand
[March 13, 2014]

Oerlikon Balzers expands Diamond Coating to meet growing demand


(Tensid Regulatory Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oerlikon Balzers expands Diamond Coating to meet growing demand Further step in enlarging surface solutions Strong demand from the aircraft and automotive industriesProduction floor space increased by more than 50 %Further progress in enlarging surface solutions offeringBalzers, Liechtenstein - March 13, 2014 - Oerlikon Balzers has increased production capacity for its technology-leading diamond coatings to meet growing demand from the aircraft and automotive industries. "The success of diamond coatings is just the latest example of how we are achieving growth through innovative product development in the surface solutions sector," says Dr Hans Brändle, CEO of the Oerlikon Coating Segment.



The expansion follows the company's recent announcement to acquire the thermal spray-coating business Sulzer Metco, making the Oerlikon Segment the global technology leader in surface solutions.

The extra capacity will be created at Niederkorn Coating Center in Luxembourg, which is the company's global competence center for high-performance carbon coating for cutting tools. In addition to increasing production floor space by more than 50 %, the center will further improve the technology and quality of its diamond-coating processes to the highest possible standard.


Oerlikon Balzers' customers for the most recent diamond coating BALINIT DIAMOND PLUS are the aircraft and automotive industries. Companies within these sectors are increasingly using carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP), which are highly valued for their lightweight and robust characteristics. Processing CFRP requires extremely wear-resistant, sharp and smooth cutting tools.

Diamonds are the toughest naturally occurring material but are not an affordable option. Thus, Oerlikon Balzers' diamond coatings - BALINIT DIAMOND and BALINIT DIAMOND PLUS - are the best alternative, significantly enhancing the performance of cutting tools by a factor of up to 10 compared to non-coated tools.

The Niederkorn Coating Center is one of four Oerlikon Balzers centers serving the high-tech requirements of the aircraft industry. It holds the Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) Certificate.

This success with diamond coatings is just the latest example of how Oerlikon Balzers manages growth by developing a broad variety of leading surface solutions. Started with thin-film PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) decades ago, the Oerlikon Segment acquired and developed adjacent technologies such as Pulsed Plasma Diffusion (PPD), ePD (embedded PVD for Design parts), Plasma Nitriding, rounded up by polishing and regrinding services.

For further information please contact: Burkhard Böndel Head of Group Communications & IR T +41 58 360 96 02 F +41 58 360 98 02 [email protected] www.oerlikon.com Andreas Schwarzwälder Head of Investor Relations T +41 58 360 96 22 F +41 58 360 98 22 [email protected] www.oerlikon.com Alessandra Doëll Head of Communications, Oerlikon Balzers T +423 388 7500 F +423 388 5419 [email protected] www.oerlikon.com/balzers About Oerlikon Oerlikon (SIX: OERL) is a leading high-tech industrial group specializing in machine and plant engineering. The Company is a provider of innovative industrial solutions and cutting-edge technologies for manmade fibers manufacturing, drive systems, vacuum, surface solutions and advanced nanotechnology. A Swiss company with a tradition going back over 100 years, Oerlikon is a global player with around 13 000 employees at over 150 locations in 34 countries and sales of CHF 2.9 billion in 2013. In 2013, the Company invested CHF 122 million in R&D, with over 1 000 specialists working on future products and services. In most areas, the operative businesses rank either first or second in their respective global markets.

About Oerlikon Balzers Oerlikon Balzers is the global leader among providers of coatings which significantly improve the performance and service life of precision components as well as of tools for metal and plastic processing. These coatings, developed by Oerlikon Balzers and marketed under the brand names BALINIT and BALIQ, are extremely thin and exceptionally hard. They significantly reduce friction and wear. Oerlikon Balzers also develops processes, manufactures and sells systems and production facilities, and offers contract coating services through a dynamically growing network of 93 coating centers, now in 34 countries throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia. Moreover, the company develops an integrated approach for the low-emission metallisation of plastic parts under the technology brand ePD. The enterprise is based in Liechtenstein and has 3 400 employees worldwide. Oerlikon Balzers is a Business Unit of the Switzerland-based Oerlikon Group (SIX: OERL).

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