Bearings are universal components. Few devices can do without them. A diamond-like coating reduces friction in ball and slide bearings: The carbon layer can be applied to the plastic cage using a ...

Mechanical components usually fail from the outside in, with failures starting on the surface eventually affecting the entire component. Examples include wear (abrasion, galling, and erosion), ...

Copper steam condenser pipes coated with F-DLC (top) and without a coating (bottom). The F-DLC coating allows the condensed water to form into droplets rather than a thin film covering the pipe.

Typical physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) hard coatings are 20 times thinner than a human hair, yet they can drastically improve performance, boost reliability, and extend service lives of tool and ...