METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HARDENED, COATED METAL COMPONENT
Production of a hardened, coated metal component, including the following steps: a. performing a heat treatment of the metal component for accumulating carbon and/or nitrogen in the edge layer of the metal component, b. quenching the metal component to a temperature below the martensite start temperature, c. annealing the metal component to a temperature that is higher than the temperature of a deposition method to be subsequently performed for applying a coating, and applying a coating via gas phase deposition.
1 to 11 . (canceled)
12 . A method for producing a hardened, coated metal component with the following steps:
a. carrying out a heat treatment of the metal component to concentrate carbon and/or nitrogen in the outer layer of the metal component;
b. quenching the metal component to a temperature below the martensite start temperature;
c. tempering the metal component to a temperature which is higher than the temperature of a deposition process to be subsequently carried out for applying a coating; and
d. applying the coating via vapor phase deposition.
13 . The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising surface working the surface to be coated of the metal component after the tempering and before the coating.
14 . The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the surface working includes machining.
15 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of 750-1100° C.
16 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the tempering temperature is 20-40° C. above the deposition temperature.
17 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the vapor phase deposition is a CVD, PVD or a PACVD process.
18 . The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the deposition temperature is 300-650° C.
19 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the coating is deposited with a thickness of ≦10 μm.
20 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein a layer system at least comprising an adhesion promoting layer and a functional layer is applied as the coating.
21 . The method as recited in claim 20 wherein the layer system has an intermediate layer arranged between the adhesion promoting layer and the functional layer.
22 . The method as recited in claim 21 wherein the functional layer has a hardness of 1000-5000 HV.
23 . The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the coating has a hardness of 1000-5000 HV and/or the surface has a mean roughness value Ra of a maximum of 0.04 μm and/or a grain size of 5-100 nm.
24 . A metal component, produced by the method as recited in claim 12 .