swiss-PVD Coating

What swiss-PVD Coating does

swiss-PVD Coating AG is a privately held, family-owned Swiss provider of physical vapour deposition (PVD) coating services, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Grenchen, Switzerland. The company operates proprietary High-Density Plasma (HDP) PVD Arc technology combined with a Square Target Arc architecture, mounted on two named coating platforms — the EXON-700 and EXON-1500 — that are used both for in-house service work and as productised equipment. Its offering is organised into functional tool coatings (including AlTiN, AlCrO, SiTiN800 and C35), a Med Line of medical-device coatings, decorative coatings, and bulk coatings, supporting five principal customer segments: tool manufacturers, component manufacturers, medical device OEMs, luxury goods/watchmakers, and food-industry customers.

The business is run as a B2B professional-services model with quote-based pricing, where revenue is generated per coating batch rather than through subscription or licence fees. Process quality is backed by ISO 9001:2015 certification for general operations and ISO 13485:2016 certification for medical-device work, the latter being a prerequisite for qualifying into regulated medical supply chains. The group's European footprint has been formalised with the integration of Czech subsidiary Swiss-Plas s.r.o. (Rožnov pod Radhoštěm) into the Swiss-PVD Group, and sister entities include new-arc SA and swiss-PVD SA. Recent strategic activity — including the December 2024 launches of SiTiN800 and a combined PVD + a-C:H coating, a 700 m² solar panel installation at Grenchen in October 2024, and INNOTEQ 2025 trade-show participation — points to incremental capacity and product-line extension rather than a step-change in scale. No revenue, headcount, or funding figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

swiss-PVD Coating

Legal name

swiss-PVD Coating AG

Website

https://swiss-pvd-coating.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

swiss-PVD Coating AG is a Swiss family-owned PVD coating service provider founded in 1993, using proprietary HDP Arc and Square Target Arc technology on EXON-700/1500 systems to deliver functional and decorative coatings to tool, component, medical-device, luxury-watch, and food-industry customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coating Services

NAICS

Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Protective Coatings (Steel/Concrete/Equipment) (IMAIAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• PVD coating services
• Physical vapor deposition
• Tool wear protection
• Medical device coatings
• Decorative surface coating

Headquarters

HQ city

Grenchen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PVD Coating Services: Professional PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating services for tools, components, medical devices, and decorative applications. Services include pre-treatment, post-treatment, decoating, and diagnostic analysis. B2B model targeting industrial manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

swiss-PVD Coating AG provides professional Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating services using proprietary High-Density Plasma (HDP) Arc Technology with Square Target Arc systems (EXON-700 and EXON-1500). The company applies wear-resistant, biocompatible, and decorative coatings onto customer-supplied tools, components, medical devices, microcomponents and luxury goods for industrial manufacturers.

Product overview

swiss-PVD Coating AG is an independent family-owned company providing high-quality PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating solutions. The company operates a platform-plus-services model centered on HDP (High-Density Plasma) Arc technology, with two coating systems (EXON-700 and EXON-1500) and proprietary Square Target Arc Technology. The product portfolio includes: (1) Tool coatings for machining applications (AlTiN, AlCrO, AlTiX, TiCN, CrN, TiN, AliNOX, AL(L), SiTiN800, PVD+a-C:H, C35); (2) Medical/Med Line coatings certified for ISO 13485 (Ali Med, C Med, DC Med, Ti Med); (3) Decorative coatings for watch, jewelry, and fashion accessories; (4) Bulk/Schüttgut PVD coatings for microcomponents (black, golden yellow, grey); and (5) Support services including pre-treatment, post-treatment, decoating, and analysis/diagnostics. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certifications and has over 30 years of experience in surface treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PVD + a-C:H Coating Amorphous carbon coating for demanding tribological applications that reduces friction, wear, and torque. Suitable for plastic injection molding demolding and dry lubrication of moving parts. Can be combined with existing PVD coating range.
• SiTiN800 Coating High-performance HDP coating for machining hardened steels above 65 HRC and high-performance materials. Features optimized texture and microstructure with high thermal load resistance and oxidation resistance, enabling cutting edges to remain sharp longer.
• AlTiN Coating Versatile all-round HDP coating with high oxidation resistance, strong base hardness, excellent thermal stability, and performance under mechanical stress. Suitable for high-speed cutting, hard and dry machining (MQL), milling, drilling, and micro-tools.
• AlCrO Coating Nanostructured HDP coating with high temperature resistance and extreme wear resistance. Recommended for hard and dry machining (MQL), high-speed cutting, soft milling, threading, plastic processing, forming and reaming of highly alloyed steel and titanium alloys.
• AlTiX Coating Variant of HDP AlTiN with optimized microstructure and hardness. Shows significantly higher density, hardness, and toughness than conventional AlTiN coatings. Recommended for fine blanking, forming, high-speed cutting, and deep hole drilling.
• TiCN Coating High hardness and toughness coating with excellent anti-adhesive and sliding properties. Used in thread cutting and forming, gear hobbing, broaching, sawing, forming, blanking of stainless steel, and injection moulding of fiber-reinforced plastics.
• CrN Coating Chrome-based coating with corrosion resistance comparable to hard chrome plating but with significantly better adhesion and higher hardness. Used in injection molding and processing of copper, brass, bronze, and galvanized/tinned sheet steel.
• TiN Coating First-generation PVD coating, versatile and suitable for cutting and forming iron-based materials, injection moulding of plastics, and die casting of zinc. Ideal for slow-running and/or unstable machine conditions in drilling and milling operations.
• AliNOX Coating HDP coating developed specifically for stainless steel, CoCr-alloys, CuBe-alloys, aluminum, and titanium. Optimized to prevent work-material adherence to the coating. Shows excellent results in dry hard milling and minimal lubricant milling of steels with 50-64 HRC.
• AL(L) Coating HDP coating based on AlTiSiN with high thermal stability and oxidation resistance. Nanolayer structure prevents microcrack formation. Excellent for cutting demanding materials including hardened steel, stainless steel, cast iron, titanium, and nickel alloys.
• C35 Coating New generation HDP metal coating with microhardness of 35-40 GPa. Features high density, very low layer growth defect rate, and fine microstructure. Ideal for aluminum, non-ferrous metals, brass, and applications where cold soldering and anti-stick behavior are critical.
• Ali Med Coating Anti-reflective HDP PVD Arc coating for medical components enabling safe, fast handling in surgery. Significantly reduces cutting tool wear when processing titanium and stainless steel implants. AlTiCrN-based with anthracite color.
• C Med Coating HDP PVD coating with good anti-adhesion and demolding properties for medical applications. Chromium-based with light grey color. Good corrosion resistance and suitable for plastic ejection from injection molds.
• DC Med Coating Enhanced version of C Med with optimized texture and properties. Offers very high corrosion protection (72-hour salt spray test, ISO9227), resistance to acidic/aggressive substances, high hardness, and excellent anti-adhesion properties. Suitable for pharmaceutical and food industries.
• Ti Med Coating TiN-based medical coating with good anti-wear effect for surgical instruments and tools. Prevents blood and tissue adhesion during surgery. Yellow gold color. Certified for cytotoxicity (ISO 10993 part 5), muscle implementation study (USP <88>), and food industry applications.
• Black Bulk PVD Coating Ti-based black bulk PVD coating for microcomponents (from 0.2mm diameter). Economical solution meeting Swiss watch industry standards. Layer thickness 0.2 µm, coating temperature 180-500°C.
• Golden Yellow Bulk PVD Coating Bulk PVD coating in golden yellow for microcomponents. Economically coats microcomponents with improved resistance, reliability, and durability. Layer thickness 0.2-0.4 µm, coating temperature 400-500°C.
• Grey Bulk PVD Coating Chrome-based bulk PVD coating with light silver-grey appearance. Provides anti-corrosion effect with low coefficient of friction and high hardness. Extends service life of microcomponents.
• Decorative PVD Coating HDP PVD Arc technology for decorative purposes combining optical aspects and wear resistance. Wide range of colors for Swiss watch market, jewelry, and fashion accessories industries.
• EXON-700 Coating System Arc coating system for high-performance metallurgical coatings. Volume 700L, uses HDP ARC technology with plasma density up to 800A (1200A in R&D). Temperature range 150-500°C. Enables evaporation of up to 3 target materials per batch.
• EXON-1500 Coating System Larger arc coating system for high-performance metallurgical coatings. Volume 1500L, plasma density up to 400A per cathode. Temperature range 150-500°C. Enables evaporation of up to 6 target materials per batch.
• Analysis & Diagnostics Services Comprehensive analytical capabilities including HRC, Calotester, optical microscopy, microhardness measurement, SEM, EDX, and XRD diffractometry for quality control and optimization of coating structures and textures.
• Decoating Service Chemical decoating baths for removal of PVD coatings on steel and carbide metal without damaging blade edge geometry. Tools remain sharp and bright.
• Pre-treatment Service Microblasting and wet pressure blasting methods for optimum substrate preparation, edge stabilization on carbide tools, and preparation of oxidized, contaminated, spark-eroded, and cobalt-eluting surfaces.
• Post-treatment Service Surface treatment to remove evaporated metal droplets from PVD-coated parts, improving surface brightness and anti-friction behavior. Includes blasting machines, polishing machines, and manual polishing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coating microcomponents as small as 0.2mm diameter with high consistency
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• Swiss-Plas s.r.o.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 January 2026Part of Swiss-PVD Group with over 20 years of PVD market experience. Based in Rožnov, Czech Republic, serves the European market with coating services.
• new-arc SAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResponsible for development of new PVD coating machines and new coating concepts. Founder Dr. Hermann Curtins is a renowned personality in PVD surface technology with successfully patented innovations. His visions are incorporated into optimization of machines and coatings.
• swiss-PVD SAcoreTechnology or IntegrationBased in Le Locle (Switzerland), responsible for design, development and construction of PVD machines. Team has vast experience in machine engineering and PVD systems including arc, sputter, and evaporation technologies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IHI Hauzer Techno Coating: Equipment manufacturer and coating service provider (part of IHI group) for PVD and PACVD systems. Comparable on both equipment and service sides, and the supplier relationship makes them an important ecosystem participant.
• Bodycote: Largest global provider of heat treatment and specialist coating services, including PVD/PACVD offerings. Overlaps with swiss-PVD in metal surface finishing and engineered coatings, but serves a much broader market and customer base.
• Sulzer (Surface Solutions): Swiss-headquartered industrial conglomerate with a surface solutions business offering coating and surface treatment services, including PVD. Comparable on European industrial coatings exposure, but operates as part of a much broader portfolio (pumps, rotating equipment, etc.).

Emerging players

• Wallwork Group: UK-based provider of heat treatment, PVD, and PACVD coating services to tooling, aerospace, and medical sectors. Smaller and more regionally focused than global incumbents, but offers directly comparable surface treatment services.
• Richter Precision (PTK Group): European PVD coating service provider specializing in tool coatings and components for plastics processing and metal forming. Comparable technology focus and customer overlap in injection molding and stamping applications.

Direct peers

• HEF Group: French-based specialist in surface treatments including PVD, PACVD, and DLC coatings for mechanical, aerospace, and tooling applications. Comparable European mid-sized coating service provider with similar technical specialization and customer segments.
• IHI Ionbond: Global PVD/CVD/PACVD coating services provider for cutting tools, components, and decorative applications with centers across Europe, North America, and Asia. Directly comparable in technology stack (HDP, arc, sputter), customer segments, and decorative/tooling focus.
• Phygen Coatings: North American provider of PVD and PACVD coatings for cutting tools, components, and decorative applications. Comparable technology stack (arc PVD, sputter PVD) and similar focus on wear-resistant and decorative coatings.
• Voestalpine eifeler Group: European PVD coating service network focused on tooling and decorative applications, with brands like eifeler and DCTC. Comparable technology portfolio (TiN, AlTiN, CrN, DLC) and customer focus on cutting tools and decorative components.
• Oerlikon Balzers: Global leader in PVD and other thin-film coatings for tooling, automotive, and medical components. Operates a worldwide network of coating centers with overlapping technology (Balinit/AlCrONA product families), making it the most directly comparable competitor and benchmark for swiss-PVD's service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 swiss-PVD Coating