Device for vacuum coating slide bearings

A device for vacuum coating plain bearings, comprising:

• a plurality of vacuum chambers arranged in succession and including an air-lock chamber at an inlet side of the device, a pretreatment chamber following said air-lock chamber in a direction of travel of plain bearings through said device, a first coating chamber following said pretreatment chamber in said direction, a second coating chamber following said first coating chamber in said direction, and an air-lock chamber at an outlet side of the device following said second coating chamber in said direction;
• vacuum pump and control means for evacuating said chambers and enabling the transfer of plain bearings in succession from said airlock chamber at said inlet side of the device through said pretreatment chamber, said first coating chamber, said second coating chamber and the airlock chamber at said outlet side of said device;
• a conveyer for transporting said plain bearings through said chambers and including a conveying track and a plurality of support members shaped to form fittingly receive said plain bearings so that said plain bearings can be pressed into said support members with adjustable force;
• a temperature control for said support members;
• a control device for controlling movement of said support members through the respective pretreatment, first coating and second coating chambers for controlling the treatment process to be carried out therein;
• an etcher in said pretreatment chamber for stationary magnetic field plasma etching of the plain bearings therein;
• a magnetron sputtering source having at least one target and located in said first coating chamber below the plain bearings;
• an electronic beam vaporizer having a vaporizer crucible in said second coating chamber for electron beam vaporization coating of the plain bearings;
• and
• buffer zones upstream and downstream of said electron beam vaporizer.