Steigerung der Leistungsfähigkeit technischer Kunststoffe durch DLC-Beschichtungen

The low density ρ, thermal insulation and cost-effective production by injection moulding qualify technical plastics for the use on lightweight machine elements such as gears. However, due to the low thermal stability and strength of engineering plastics compared to steel materials, tribological use is limited to tribological contacts with low loads. The wear resistance of engineering plastics can be increased by using diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. Studies at the IOT show promising results regarding the compound adhesion between polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and DLC coatings. The application of DLC coatings on PEEK in a lubricated tribological contact with steel resulted in a wear volume reduction of up to 50 % compared to an uncoated contact.