Problem:
When forming disposable contact lenses, manufacturers use a simple tungsten tool to hold the lens in place as it's being formed. However, one particular manufacturer found that his tungsten part, which had an electroless Nickel coating, was chipping and causing contamination to the lens.  The manufacturer looked into changing the design of the part - which needs a smooth and reflective surface to be effective - but could not find a suitable answer.

Solution:
When General Magnaplate was approached with the problem, they were able to recommend coating the part with Magnagold - an enhanced PVD titanium nitride coating that has been developed for use on high strength alloys.  The process is an enhanced Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) of titanium nitride by reactive plasma ion bombardment in a vacuum system. The lower temperatures used in our process allow the coating of a greater variety of materials without causing loss of hardness or distortion of the substrate metal.  After Magnagold was applied, the customer reported that the chipping issue was eliminated and they obtained the reflectivity required for use with the laser in their application.