Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM
Component function can be controlled to a great extent through surface structuring. Optical, medical and tooling technology applications each require different surface textures on a micro and nano scale. These are generated by exploiting the self-organization effects during the growth of PVD layers. For instance: surfaces can be made water and dirt proof, the cell adhesion on the surface of an implant can be controlled, and polymer components can be given an antireflective coating directly during the forming process.