RUBIG Group, an Austrian specialist in advanced surface treatment technologies, has installed a combined plasma nitriding and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating system at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai. The installation expands the institute’s surface engineering capabilities and supports research in advanced materials and manufacturing technologies.
The system has been commissioned at IIT Madras’s SMART (Surface Modifications and Additive Research Technologies) Lab and is designed to carry out plasma nitriding and DLC coating within a single integrated vacuum process. Manufactured by RUBIG Group, the equipment is based on the company’s MICROPULS technology for controlled heat treatment and coating applications.
The duplex process integrates two surface engineering stages. In the first stage, plasma nitriding diffuses nitrogen into the surface of metallic components at moderate temperatures, creating a hardened diffusion layer beneath the surface. This layer improves load-bearing capacity and provides mechanical support for the subsequent coating. In the second stage, a thin DLC layer is deposited using plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition, resulting in a surface with low friction and high wear resistance.
By combining both processes in a single system, the treatment addresses limitations commonly associated with thin coatings applied on softer substrates, such as cracking or delamination under load. The integrated configuration allows both stages to be completed without removing the component from the chamber, supporting consistent processing and reproducibility.
The system operates at lower temperatures than conventional gas nitriding processes, which helps limit dimensional distortion of treated components. Its vacuum-based configuration avoids the use of salt baths and other chemically intensive methods associated with traditional surface hardening. Multi-zone heating and controlled cooling are used to maintain process stability and tight tolerances.
At IIT Madras, the installation is intended to support academic research and industry collaboration in areas including wear-resistant surfaces, corrosion protection, tooling materials, and functional coatings. The SMART Lab (Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering) focuses on surface modification, additive manufacturing post-processing, and advanced materials characterisation, with applications across automotive, aerospace, energy, tooling, and biomedical engineering.
RUBIG Group operates internationally in heat treatment, coating, and surface engineering technologies for industrial and research applications. In India, its presence includes Rubig India Private Limited, incorporated on 6 July 2023 and headquartered in Mumbai, which supports installation and servicing activities for machinery and equipment in the local market.
