What Sputtering Components does

Sputtering Components Inc. (SCI) is a privately held U.S. manufacturer, founded in 2001 in Owatonna, Minnesota and operating as a member of Switzerland-based Bühler Group since 2018. The company designs and produces rotary magnetron sputtering cathodes (end blocks) and complementary subsystems used in physical vapor deposition (PVD) thin film coating, including internal-mount and external-mount cathodes, the Swing Cathode™ with a swinging magnet pack, RAM-Bar™ and ARM-Bar™ magnet bars, e-Cathode™ process lids and doors, the envis-ION™ Dual Magnetron Pretreatment Source, sputtering accessories, and the Swing-DUO™ process-control software. Its rotary cathodes deliver target utilization of 70-85% versus 25-40% for planar targets, translating into longer coating campaigns, lower cost of ownership, and improved uniformity for end customers.

SCI sells directly from Owatonna to North American customers and through a network of channel partners across South America, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Pricing is quote-based on custom component specifications, with revenue streams spanning new-system components, retrofits for existing coaters, and spare parts and preventive-maintenance service (including lid retrofits that can deliver up to $8,000 per cathode per year in maintenance savings and a return on investment in as little as three years). The company serves seven primary verticals — architectural and auto glass, solar (silicon, CIGS, CdTe), touch screens and displays, decorative coatings, web/roll-to-roll flexible substrates, precision optics, and electronics (including panel-level packaging and EMI shielding) — and counts more than 8,000 rotary cathodes installed globally, 22 patents or patents pending, and ISO-9001 certification as evidence of its installed-base scale and quality system.

Name

Sputtering Components

Legal name

Sputtering Components Inc.

Website

https://sputteringcomponents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thin Film Vacuum Coating Equipment Components

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Coating, Painting & Plating (Powder Coat, Anodizing, Electroplating, PVD/CVD) (IMAAAGAI)

Keywords

• Rotary cathode manufacturing
• Thin film coating equipment
• Physical vapor deposition components
• Magnetron sputtering systems
• Vacuum coating hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Owatonna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sputtering Components (Hardware): Sale of rotary cathodes (end blocks), magnetics, process lids, doors, and sputtering accessories. Core product line includes Standard Internal-Mount, Standard External-Mount, Swing™ cathodes, and IM cathodes.
2. Parts and Service: Replacement parts including wear and spare parts, preventive maintenance, inspection, overhaul and upgrades, equipment relocation assistance, and lid retrofits.
3. Training Services: Virtual or in-person training sessions covering vacuum technology, sputtering basics, preventive maintenance, and machine operation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sputtering Components designs, manufactures, and supports rotary sputtering cathodes (end blocks), advanced magnetics, turnkey process lids, dual magnetron pretreatment sources, and related accessories for physical vapor deposition (PVD) thin film coating systems. The company sells components for new vacuum coaters, retrofit kits for existing equipment from any manufacturer, and replacement/spare parts, complemented by service, training, and uniformity-optimization software for customers in glass, solar, display, decorative, web-coating, optics, and electronics manufacturing.

Product overview

Sputtering Components provides a comprehensive portfolio of sputtering components for thin film vacuum coating technology. The core offering centers on rotary cathodes (end blocks) available in Standard Internal-Mount, Standard External-Mount, Swing™ (rotating magnet bar, rotating target), and IM (rotating magnet bar, stationary target) configurations. Supporting the cathodes are Advanced Magnetics standard magnet bars, the RAM-Bar™ (remotely adjustable magnet bar) for real-time deposition uniformity tuning, and the ARM-Bar™ (air retractable magnet bar) for ferromagnetic materials. The product line extends to e-Cathode™ process lids and doors (turnkey solutions for single/dual magnetrons), the envis-ION™ Dual Magnetron Pretreatment Source for substrate pre-treatment, and sputtering accessories including gas manifolds, custom tools, magnet bar cradles, and RAM-Bar™ changing stations. Swing-DUO™ software provides Dynamic Uniformity Optimization for Swing Cathode™ users. The company also offers lid retrofit services and maintains 22 patents or patents pending for its innovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Cathode™: Process lids and doors for single (dc) or dual (ac) rotary magnetrons
• Swing Cathode™
• RAM-Bar™
• ARM-Bar™
• envis-ION™
• Swing-DUO™

Products and services

• Rotary Cathodes (End Blocks) Rotary sputtering cathodes (rotary magnetrons) used in vacuum coating systems for thin-film PVD deposition. Available in Standard Internal-Mount, Standard External-Mount, Swing™ (rotating magnet bar, rotating target), and IM (rotating magnet bar, stationary target) configurations, targeted at PVD coater manufacturers and end-user coater operators.
• Advanced Magnetics (Standard Magnet Bars) Standard magnet bars for rotary cathodes that confine electrons over the target material to enhance ionization efficiency, designed for SCI rotary cathode systems.
• RAM-Bar™ (Remotely Adjustable Magnet Bar) Magnet bar that enables in-process adjustment of the magnet-pack-to-target distance from outside the vacuum chamber, allowing deposition uniformity to be tuned in real time on running PVD systems.
• ARM-Bar™ (Air Retractable Magnet Bar) Air retractable magnet bar designed specifically for sputtering magnetic materials such as nickel used in EMI shielding applications.
• e-Cathode™ Process Lids and Doors Turnkey process lids and doors for single (DC) or dual (AC) rotary magnetrons, available in digital and analog formats, for new coaters or retrofitting existing coaters.
• envis-ION™ Dual Magnetron Pretreatment Source (DMPTS) Dual Magnetron Pretreatment Source that drives off water vapor and volatile contaminants from substrates for improved adhesion and durability, reducing substrate damage through lower ion energies; compatible with other PVD processes.
• Sputtering Accessories Accessories including gas manifolds, custom tools, magnet bar cradles, and RAM-Bar™ changing stations that add functionality or simplify maintenance of SCI sputtering equipment.
• Swing-DUO™ Software Web-based Dynamic Uniformity Optimization software for Swing Cathode™ users that simulates and optimizes the motion profile for SCI magnet bar movement, with web-based interface, uniformity optimization under constant or variable power, coater configuration design, and CAM table output.
• Lid Retrofit Retrofit kit service compatible with any manufacturer's cathodes, providing plug-and-play compatibility with existing mechanical and electrical interfaces to reduce maintenance costs and coater downtime.
• Parts, Service and Training Replacement parts including wear and spare parts, preventive maintenance, inspection, overhaul and upgrades, equipment relocation assistance, and virtual or in-person training covering vacuum technology, sputtering basics, preventive maintenance, and machine operation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Target utilization of 70-85% vs 25-40% with planar targets
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bühler GroupcoreOthersSputtering Components became a member of the Bühler Group in 2018. Bühler is a Swiss-based company with US headquarters in Plymouth, MN. This provides Sputtering Components with backing from a larger industrial group.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AJA International: AJA International designs and manufactures sputtering and thin-film deposition systems, including magnetron sputtering sources and ATC Orion series. It competes with SCI in supplying custom sputtering components and complete deposition systems.
• Angstrom Sciences: Angstrom Sciences manufactures rotary and planar magnetron sputtering cathodes and sputter sources used in thin-film deposition. It is the closest direct competitor to Sputtering Components in rotary cathode technology for glass, decorative, and electronics applications.
• Singulus Technologies: Singulus Technologies manufactures vacuum coating and PVD systems, including sputtering equipment for optical disc, solar, and decorative applications. It directly competes with Sputtering Components in rotary cathode-based thin-film deposition systems.
• Kurt J. Lesker Company: Kurt J. Lesker manufactures vacuum components, sputtering targets, and thin-film deposition equipment globally. It overlaps with Sputtering Components in supplying magnetron sputtering cathodes and vacuum coating system components to research and industrial customers.
• Semicore Equipment: Semicore manufactures sputtering systems, including roll-to-roll and in-line configurations, along with magnetron sputtering cathodes. It is a direct peer in thin-film deposition equipment for solar, optics, and electronics applications.

Broad incumbents

• ULVAC: ULVAC is a major Japanese vacuum and thin-film equipment manufacturer offering full sputtering systems and components. While broader in scope than Sputtering Components, it competes in display, solar, and electronics deposition equipment markets.
• Applied Materials: Applied Materials is the dominant broad thin-film deposition equipment supplier for display and semiconductor manufacturing. Its PVD and rotary cathode systems compete with SCI at the OEM level in display and large-area coating.
• Veeco Instruments: Veeco Instruments produces thin-film deposition equipment for LEDs, photonics, and advanced packaging. While broader and focused on MBE and MOCVD, it is comparable as a thin-film equipment incumbent in adjacent deposition technologies.
• Bühler Leybold Optics: Leybold Optics, part of the Bühler Group alongside Sputtering Components, supplies large-area optical thin-film coating systems. As a sister business within the same parent, it represents an internal competitor and potential channel for SCI cathode components.

Emerging players

• Mustang Vacuum Systems: Mustang Vacuum Systems designs and manufactures custom vacuum coating systems and sputtering components for R&D and production. It is an emerging peer offering sputtering cathode solutions for smaller-scale and specialty deposition applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sputtering Components