Metallic expressions for Life at Home - mobility project for development of decorative and durable PVD coatings

Purpose and goal

The aim of the project was to establish a strong collaboration between IKEA and RISE IVF in the field of surface technology. In this project, focus was set on PVD-coatings with different metallic expressions for decorative purposes. The goal was to better understand IKEA’s needs for cutlery and the coatings they are already using for cutlery. RISE IVF, in closed collaboration with IKEA, performed multiple characterizations to set up simple tests that will allow IKEA to test easily and fast the quality of the products.

Expected results and effects

The project focused on the different gold expressions that can be obtained by PVD technology and that will be used by IKEA for cutlery applications. Work started with a literature study to determine what characterizations can be of interest for the project but also possible new coatings to test. Then, RISE IVF, in agreement with IKEA, set up a characterization plan to determine the characteristics and properties of interesting coatings (e.g. chemical tests, color, microstructure) that will act as a basis for future coating development.

Planned approach and implementation

The project is based on a strong collaboration between IKEA of Sweden and RISE IVF in order to reach the project goal. Multiples meetings between RISE IVF and IKEA, with both material and development engineers, occurred during the project helping RISE IVF to better understand the need of IKEA designers, the possible products and which information the project should provide. A summary of the results has then been provided to IKEA, that will help set up better requirements =. During this project, we also discussed the possibility to continue collaboration within the area.