Alfi brand 12" x 12" PVD Stainless Steel Shower Niche - 3 Finishes

PVD Stainless Steel

The Basics

PVD is an acronym for Physical Vapor Deposition. PVD is a vacuum coating process whereby a thin, durable film such as titanium nitride or zirconium nitride is deposited onto the surface of the Stainless Steel. Not only does it give the steel a decorative finish in Gold, Black, or Copper, but it also makes more durable, scratch-resistant, and corrosion-resistant.

A more complete explanation of the PVD Process

1. Preparation
The substrate (often stainless steel) is thoroughly cleaned — usually with ultrasonic cleaning and plasma treatment — to remove oils, dust, and oxides.  It's then placed inside a vacuum chamber.

2. Vacuum Creation
The chamber is sealed and air is pumped out to create a very high vacuum (around 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁹ torr).
This is necessary to prevent unwanted reactions and to allow free movement of particles.

3. Evaporation / Vaporization
The coating material (e.g., titanium, zirconium, chromium) is vaporized using one of these techniques:
   • Arc evaporation – using electrical arcs.
   • Sputtering – using ionized gas (plasma) to knock atoms off the material.
   • Thermal evaporation – using heat to evaporate the material.

4. Transport
The vaporized atoms travel across the vacuum and move toward the cooler substrate.
Sometimes gases like nitrogen or argon are introduced to form compounds like titanium nitride (TiN).

5. Deposition
The atoms condense and bond onto the substrate, forming a thin, even, and very hard coating — often only a few microns thick (1 micron = 1/1000 m