Surface Engineering: Advantages and Disadvantages

This article explores the basics of surface engineering, outlining its advantages and disadvantages.

Introduction:

The surface of any solid material interacts with its surrounding environment, which can lead to degradation over time. This degradation is caused by various factors, including wear, tear, fatigue, corrosion, and creep. To prevent materials from degrading, we can alter their surface properties.

What is Surface Engineering?

Surface engineering is a sub-domain of material science focused on the surfaces of solid materials. In semiconductor manufacturing, it’s applicable to mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering. Surface engineering involves various processes to change surface properties, ultimately enhancing the quality and performance of solids.

Figure: Classification of surface engineering processes and techniques.

Here are some major processes involved in surface engineering:

• Surface transformation techniques: Laser hardening, induction hardening, etc.
• Chemical treatment techniques: Conversion coatings, etc.
• Coating methods: Vapor deposition, plating, spraying, painting, etc.
• Surface composition: Ion implantation, thermochemical treatment, etc.
• Mechanical treatment techniques: Shot blasting, peening, etc.
• Surface activation: Etching and plasma treatment of polymers, etc.

Benefits (Advantages) of Surface Engineering

Surface engineering offers a number of key advantages:

• It improves the quality, performance, and life cycle cost of products.
• It provides resistance to oxidation and various forms of corrosion.
• It allows us to use materials with lower properties and costs to produce tools, appliances, and machine components, while still delivering improved surface qualities.
• It enhances the reliability of tools, appliances, and components, reducing the number of failures.
• It increases component life by improving corrosion resistance.
• It reduces the frequency of replacement and maintenance of tools and parts.
• It reduces energy consumption, which leads to a reduction in environmental pollution.

Drawbacks (Disadvantages) of Surface Engineering

Surface engineering also has some limitations:

• Coating processes can be time-consuming, and the duration varies depending on the coating method used.
• Some techniques require a vacuum environment during operation.
• Some processes, like those using electron beams, can produce hazardous X-rays.
• For certain techniques, the workpiece needs to be ferrous with a sufficient carbon content, and its size is limited by the vacuum chamber size.
• For some hardening methods, a mass up to 8 times the volume to be hardened is needed around and below the heated surfaces.
• Electron beams used in some techniques can be deflected by already magnetized workpieces.