Cametoid Technologies is the largest and fastest ion vapor deposition (IVD) provider for over 200 companies in aerospace, defense, energy, and manufacturing. Parts are coated for anti-corrosion and electrical conductivity purposes. In the IVD process, aluminum is vaporized by thermally conductive evaporation boats to produce aluminum ions, which are attracted to parts, forming a uniform aluminum coating. Currently, TiB2-BN composites are used for boat heating, but they degrade quickly and have few suppliers. Thus, identifying and testing alternative suppliers and materials is crucial to improving performance and mitigating supply chain risk. Current boats will be evaluated to determine the failure mechanism, and a failure analysis report will be prepared. Boats from a new supplier will be tested in an IVD chamber and extensively characterized to evaluate their performance. Fundamental studies will be conducted on alternative materials, including SiC and B4C, to determine their suitability for IVD applications. A report will be written to communicate findings and suggested material solutions for Cametoid Technologies.

Our team collaborated with Mechanical Engineering 15 on this project.