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Our History and Milestones

Passion for surface solutions: from our beginnings in 1946 until today

1946 - 2021: From an idea to a global technology leader.

For 75 years, Oerlikon Balzers has stood for pioneering developments and global technology leadership in thin-film coatings. We live our passion for surface solutions with a unique combination of sustainability, innovative drive, entrepreneurial spirit and tradition. This benefits our customers – and our environment – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Explore 75 years of Oerlikon Balzers

Balzers' first PVD hard coating for tools, BALINIT® A, was officially "born" on September 1st 1978. Since then, Oerlikon Balzers has been an unprecedented success story, ranging from pioneering the world of coatings to being a market leader.

Explore 75 years of Oerlikon Balzers

Historical milestones

  1. With the support of Prince Franz Josef II and Swiss industrialist Emil Georg Bührle, Professor Max Auwärter founded Gerätebauanstalt Balzers

  2. Introduction of the BALINIT® C (WC/C) carbon coating

  3. Technological breakthrough with proprietary and patented P3e™ technology which allows deposition of hard aluminium-oxide coatings at coating temperatures clearly below 600°C

  4. Launch of BALINIT FORMERA / FORMERA PLUS – the coating solution for AHSS forming applications

  5. 75 years of Oerlikon Balzers: endless passion for sustainable surface solutions

  6. The "Smooth Revolution" celebrates its anniversary: The first BALIQ coatings were introduced 10 years ago

Timeline

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  1. 1940
  2. 1941
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  74. 2013 2013 2 Events
  75. 2014
  76. 2015 2015 3 Events
  77. 2016 2016 4 Events
  78. 2017 2017 10 Events
  79. 2018 2018 10 Events
  80. 2019 2019 17 Events
  81. 2020 2020 11 Events
  82. 2021 2021 10 Events
  83. 2022 2022 5 Events
  84. 2023 2023 6 Events

Oerlikon Balzers introduces BALIMED medical coatings

Oerlikon Balzers introduced its new BALIMED portfolio, comprising seven highly advanced coatings that meet the demanding requirements of today’s medical instruments and components industry. These low-friction and wear-resistant ThinFilm coatings offer higher cost efficiency and contribute to improved patient outcomes thanks to their biocompatible, antimicrobial and chemically inert properties.

Oerlikon Balzers continues expansion with new customer centre in China

Oerlikon Balzers held the Grand Opening Ceremony with guests of honour and customers to inaugurate its new coating centre in Dongguan, China. A much larger production space was required in Dongguan in order to process the rapidly growing order volume of recent years. Oerlikon Balzers started its coating business in China in 2004. The new customer centre is now the second largest in China.

Oerlikon Balzers opens new Customer Centre and celebrates 20 year in Mexico

On 4 April 2019, Oerlikon Balzers opened a new customer centre in Querétaro, Mexico. At the opening ceremony Oerlikon Balzers Mexico also celebrated its 20-year anniversary with customers and guests of honour. This new site represents another key milestone in Oerlikon Balzers’ growth strategy, as it allows the company to respond to the increased demand from the automotive industry for its sustainable highquality coatings and heat treatments.

Oerlikon Balzers builds Competence Centre for sustainable metallisation of plastics with a chrome look

On 7 May 2019, Oerlikon Balzers laid the foundation stone for its new Competence Centre in Bisingen, Germany. Once open in April 2020, components made from plastic, primarily for the automotive sector, will be metallised with a chrome look using sustainable ePD technology on a site covering several thousand square metres. More than 100 new jobs will be created at the Bisingen Competence Centre, which will enable Oerlikon Balzers to meet the high demand and ever increasing requirements of its customers from the automotive sector.

Oerlikon Balzers celebrates 15-year anniversary in China

Oerlikon Balzers has celebrated the 15th anniversary of its first Chinese customer centre in Suzhou. The company started production in China back in 2004 with 20 employees and has grown rapidly over the years, today boasting 13 customer centres and several hundred employees. The management invited the team members from the very beginning for a special anniversary dinner to celebrate their unique contribution over the last 15 years.

Oerlikon Balzers inaugurates two customer centres in Sweden

in 2019, Oerlikon Balzers opened two new customer centres in Sweden, the first in Eriksberg on 28 May and the second in Köping a day later. With these two new customer centres, Oerlikon Balzers is pursuing its strategy of being as close as possible to its customers, which shortens delivery times and routes, improves customer service and helps the company reduce its carbon footprint.

Oerlikon Balzers launches BALINIT MILUBIA and BALINIT NALUBIA

Ceramic seal discs in sanitary fittings, pneumatic valves, ceramic shafts and pump bearings as well as components in pumps and compressors are exposed to extreme friction over a long period of time. To keep these devices running reliably for longer, Oerlikon Balzers has developed BALINIT MILUBIA and BALINIT NALUBIA; hydrogen-free hard carbon coatings that protect components against wear from frequent use and at elevated temperatures.

Oerlikon Balzers hosted the first Oerlikon Balzers Surface Solutions Symposium

The first Surface Solutions Symposium for Precision Components attracted 75 attendees, among them customers and industry thought leaders, who met to network and share their perspectives on what will shape the future of component coatings across a number of different industries.

Oerlikon Balzers unveils BALINIT TISAFLEX for machining difficult-to-cut materials at the highest level

BALINIT TISAFLEX from Oerlikon Balzers is a high-end coating solution that offers superior oxidation resistance, high thermal stability and exceptional wear resistance, making it perfect for machining challenging materials such as titanium, nickel-based alloys and stainless and hardened steel, which are being used more and more in the aerospace, 3C (Computers, Communications and Consumer electronics) and mould-making industries.

Oerlikon Balzers unveils BALIQ CARBOS and CARBOS STAR

Oerlikon Balzers has developed new amorphous hydrogen-free carbon (a-C) coatings, BALIQ CARBOS and BALIQ CARBOS STAR, which deliver an exceptional combination of high hardness, low friction and low roughness for applications with extreme contact pressures and sliding velocities.

Oerlikon Balzers receives Bosch quality excellence award for high-quality component coatings

Oerlikon Balzers has received a “ZERO defects certificate” from Bosch in recognition of supplying components coatings of the highest quality in 2018. By delivering products with no defects, Oerlikon Balzers made a substantial contribution to the continuous improvement in quality for the world-leading automotive supplier.

SUCOTEC: Oerlikon Balzers launches its new CVD equipment for the tools market

Oerlikon Balzers launched at EMO 2019 its new CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) equipment for the tools market in three different sizes: SUCOTEC kila, mega and giga. SUCOTEC complements the range of products and services provided by Oerlikon Balzers, which mainly focuses on PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) and PACVD (Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition).

BALIQ AUROS: The new high-performance coating for threading tools

For high-quality threading tools, Oerlikon Balzers developed the high-performance BALIQ AUROS coating. This extremely smooth and wear-resistant AlCrN-based coating is combined with a top coating to prevent the tool surface from welding with the workpiece material, which improves performance and ensures high process reliability.

Digital services and smart coating solutions from Oerlikon Balzers

Oerlikon Balzers showcased its latest coating and equipment developments and its new digital services at EMO in Hanover from 16 to 21 September 2019. Encompassing the full coating process, from the moment the order is placed through to delivery, these high-quality, future-oriented services offer a wide range of benefits for customers.

Oerlikon Balzers France celebrates 30 years in Limoges customer centre

On 1 and 2 October Oerlikon Balzers invited special guests and customers to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its customer centre in Limoges, France. Limoges is best known as Oerlikon Balzers' competence centre for the motorsports industry, offering coating solutions for precision components used in high-performance engines.

Oerlikon Balzers inaugurates forming tools facility and celebrates 25 years in India

Oerlikon Balzers celebrated 25 years of operations in Pune, India, on 12 October 2019. Customers, guests of honour and employees gathered for the event, which also marked the inauguration of the new forming tools centre, a demonstration of Oerlikon Balzers’ continued commitment to the growing Indian market.

Oerlikon Balzers launches the METAPLAS.DOMINO kila flex coating equipment

The METAPLAS.DOMINO kila flex offers particularly high flexibility thanks to its two doors, which allow fast loading and unloading and a possible upgrade to automated loading and unloading.

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Contact

Oerlikon Balzers Coating UK Limited; Bradbourne Drive, Tilbrook, MK7 8AT Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

© Copyright 2024 OC Oerlikon Management AG

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