Develops and manufactures CVD, CVA and CVI coating systems for wear, corrosion and high-temperature protection.
IHI Bernex AG
Olten (CH) · Venlo (NL) · Shanghai (CN) · Madison Heights, MI (US)New on Amplifa
About IHI Bernex
IHI Bernex AG is a Swiss high-tech manufacturer specializing in plant engineering that builds coating systems based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as well as its derivatives CVA (Chemical Vapor Aluminizing) and CVI (Chemical Vapor Infiltration). From its Olten location, turnkey systems are developed, assembled and commissioned, configured to customer specifications and delivered with standardized or custom-developed coating recipes. Typical applications include hard coatings such as TiN, TiC, TiCN and Al2O3 on indexable inserts, forming and extrusion tools, as well as protective coatings on turbine blades, carbon fibers, CMC components, 3D-printed parts and medical devices. The systems are characterized by modular design, long service life and retrofittable hardware and software upgrades. In addition to plant construction, the company offers coating development, maintenance, training, process optimization and spare parts through service organizations in Switzerland, the USA and Asia. IHI Bernex is part of the Hauzer Group and thus of the Japanese IHI Corporation.
- Site
- Olten
- Processes
- CVD coating (Chemical Vapor Deposition), Medium-temperature CVD (MT-CVD, 720–900 °C), High-temperature CVD (HT-CVD, 900–1050 °C), MOCVD (CVD with solid metallo-organic precursors), CVA – Chemical Vapor Aluminizing (aluminide diffusion coating, 900–1150 °C), CVI – Chemical Vapor Infiltration (infiltration of porous materials, 1–200 mbar, up to 1600 °C), Coating of cutting tool inserts (TiN, TiC, TiCN, Al2O3 multilayers), Wear and corrosion protection coating of tools and components
- Materials
- Carbide / cemented carbide, Graphite, Ceramics, Steel (tool steel for forming and extrusion tools), High-temperature nickel alloys, Carbon fiber, Ceramic matrix composites (CMC), Silicon carbide (SiC)
- Certificates
- FAT/SAT acceptance tests, Data-based system analysis
- Founded
- 1904
- Employees
- approx. 50
- Industries
- Tool and mold making, Aerospace, Medical technology, Composites / carbon fibers / CMC, Additive manufacturing, Automotive
- 01
Engineering & design of the coating system
- 02
Manufacturing and assembly in Olten
- 03
Coating development and recipe creation
- 04
Commissioning, FAT/SAT at the customer
- 05
Field service, maintenance, upgrades, spare parts & training
Technologies & Materials
Chemical Vapor Deposition (HT-CVD 900–1050 °C, MT-CVD 720–900 °C)
Deposition of coatings such as TiN, TiC, TiCN, Al2O3 on carbide, graphite, ceramics and steel, also for complex geometries and internal surfaces.
Chemical Vapor Aluminizing (aluminide diffusion coating, 900–1150 °C)
Diffusion coatings with high oxidation and corrosion resistance, in particular on high-temperature nickel alloys for turbine hot-section components.
Chemical Vapor Infiltration (1–200 mbar, up to 1600 °C)
Infiltration of porous materials such as carbon fiber bundles, composites and 3D-printed parts with SiC, BN, PyC, TiN or Al2O3.
MOCVD with solid metallo-organic precursors
CVD variant using solid precursors for special coating applications.
Hard coatings (including TiN, TiC, TiCN, a-/κ-Al2O3, HfN, ZrN, ZrC, Ta, TiB2)
Single-layer and multilayer coatings for wear-resistant cutting and forming tools.
Ceramic coatings (SiC, boron nitride, pyrolytic carbon)
Protection of carbon fibers, CMC components and additively manufactured parts against oxidation, corrosion and fiber degradation.
Locations
Olten
CHR&D, development, assembly, headquarters
- Materials
- Carbide, graphite, ceramics, steel, nickel alloys, carbon fiber/CMC
- CVD coating systems
- CVA diffusion coating systems
- CVI coating systems
- Bernex Fibre Coater
- CVD LabTube (laboratory system)
- MOCVD system
Venlo
NLParent company Hauzer Group / IHI Hauzer Techno Coating B.V.
Shanghai
CNService & sales Asia (IHI Hauzer Techno Coating Shanghai)
Madison Heights, MI
USService & sales USA (IHI Hauzer Techno Coating LLC)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVD coating (Chemical Vapor Deposition)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbide (cemented carbide), Graphite, Ceramics, Steel |
| Medium-temperature CVD (MT-CVD, 720–900 °C)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbide (cemented carbide), Graphite, Ceramics, Steel |
| High-temperature CVD (HT-CVD, 900–1050 °C)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbide (cemented carbide), Graphite, Ceramics, Steel |
| MOCVD (CVD with solid metallo-organic precursors)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| CVA – Chemical Vapor Aluminizing (aluminide diffusion coating, 900–1150 °C)Surface | – | – | – | – | High-temperature nickel alloys |
| CVI – Chemical Vapor Infiltration (infiltration of porous materials, 1–200 mbar, up to 1600 °C)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbon fiber bundles, Composites, 3D-printed parts |
| Coating of cutting tool inserts (TiN, TiC, TiCN, Al2O3 multilayers)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbide (cemented carbide) |
| Wear and corrosion protection coating of tools and componentsSurface | – | – | – | – | Tool steel, Carbide |
| Heat-resistant coating solutionsSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coating of 3D-printed parts (CVD: SiC, BN, PyC; CVI: SiC, BN, PyC, TiN, Al2O3; CVA:Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbon fiber, CMC, 3D printing materials |
| Medical device coating (metal barrier coatings, low-friction)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Protective coating of carbon fibers and CMC components (SiC)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbon fiber, SiC, CMC |
| Coating of forging, injection molding and extrusion toolsSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminum extrusion dies |
| Coating development as a serviceEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Service: installation, maintenance, upgrades, training, process optimization, system analysisEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVD coating system | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| CVA diffusion coating system | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| CVI coating system (Chemical Vapor Infiltration) | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| Bernex Fibre Coater (fiber coating system) | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| CVD LabTube (laboratory CVD system) | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| MOCVD system (solid metallo-organic precursors) | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
| Product modules (modular system/upgrade modules) | IHI Bernex | – | – | – | Olten, Switzerland |
Additional services
Quality & Service
Every step of the system build is closely monitored to meet high quality standards; internal and external acceptance is performed as FAT/SAT in Olten and at the customer's site. Service modules such as maintenance, process optimization and data-based system analysis ensure the availability and reproducibility of the coating processes.
| Evidence | Olten |
|---|---|
| FAT/SAT acceptance tests | |
| Data-based system analysis |
History
- 1904
Founded as a manufacturer of trucks and buses
- 1972
Start of CVD system development: control of crystal structure (a/κ-Al2O3) and development of MT-TiCN in the early 1970s
- 2025
55 years of CVD coating technology