Cathodic Arc Evaporation Research Articles

Microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation behavior of arc-evaporated Cr–Al–O–N coatings with various Cr/Al ratios

Cr–Al-based oxynitride materials have attracted significant attention as hard protective coatings for decades. However, knowledge of the influence of the constituents on oxidation behavior is limited. Here, Cr–Al–O–N coatings with various Cr/Al ratios prepared using cathodic arc evaporation were studied with respect to their microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation behavior. With a decrease in the Cr/Al ratio, the coatings yielded a phase evolution from face-centered cubic CrN to rock salt-type cubic (Cr, Al)2O3 to a wurtzite-type hexagonal AlN structure. The cubic structured coatings showed a comparable indentation hardness, much higher than that of the Cr-free Al–O–N coating with a wurtzite structure. Thermogravimetric together with differential scanning calorimetric (TG-DSC) analysis revealed that the ternary Cr–O–N and Al–O–N coatings were more susceptible to oxidation than the quaternary Cr–Al–O–N coatings. Moreover, isothermal oxidation experiments indicated that the addition of 66 at.% Al within the metallic species gives rise to the growth of an Al-rich oxide scale on top of the Cr–Al–O–N coating. However, this oxide scale containing substantial voids cannot prevent the underlying coating from oxidation. Oxidation kinetics study illustrates that the oxidation activation energies of (CrxAl1−x)–O–N coatings with x = 1.00, 0.76, 0.58, 0.33, and 0 are 252.3, 305.2, 370.7, 303.8, and 297.7 kJ/mol, respectively. The best oxidation resistance was obtained by the (Cr0.58Al0.42)–O–N coating, whereas the Al-containing (Cr0.33Al0.67)–O–N coating showed inferior oxidation resistance owing to its high intrinsic oxygen fraction.

Oxidation behavior of a cathodic arc evaporated Cr0.69Ta0.20B0.11N coating

CrTaBN hard coatings deposited by cathodic arc evaporation are a promising new material class for use in demanding applications, due to their high hardness and good thermal stability in protective atmosphere. Up to now however, studies on the detailed oxidation mechanism of quaternary CrTaBN coatings are lacking in the literature. Thus, within this work, the oxidation behavior of a Cr0.69Ta0.20B0.11N coating grown by cathodic arc evaporation was studied in a combinatorial approach of advanced characterization techniques. In situ high-energy x-ray diffraction at a synchrotron radiation facility showed that up to ∼1100 °C, only the face-centered cubic (fcc) CrxTayB1−x−yN solid solution of powdered CrTaBN contributes to the crystalline phase composition. As the temperature is further increased, tetragonal CrTaO4 and rhombohedral Cr2O3 form. In situ high-temperature Raman spectroscopy evidenced that B2O3 contributes to the phase composition of the material in the temperature regime from ∼600 to 1000 °C. Applying high-resolution transmission electron microscopy allowed to identify the presence of four discrete zones in a partly oxidized CrTaBN coating on sapphire: intact fcc-CrTaBN at the interface to the substrate, followed by a Cr-deficient and Cr-enriched layer, respectively, and a porous layer with small grains at the surface.

Surface, mechanical, and in vitro corrosion properties of arc-deposited TiAlN ceramic coating on biomedical Ti6Al4V alloy

The surface characteristics and in vitro corrosion properties of nanocrystalline TiAlN coating deposited on biomedical Ti6Al4V alloy by cathodic arc evaporation were studied. The structure and surface morphology were analyzed using XRD and FE-SEM. The surface microhardness was characterized using microindentation. The in vitro corrosion was carried out in simulated body fluid and artificial saliva. The results exhibited that a TiAlN film was deposited with an enhanced surface hardness of 44.4 GPa, a elastic modulus of 419.9 GPa, and enhanced resistance to plastic deformation compared to uncoated alloy. The wetting angle of TiAlN coated surfaces ((86.27±2.2)°) was larger than that of uncoated Ti6Al4V surfaces ((70.61±1.25)°). Biocorrosion examinations revealed that TiAlN-coated Ti6Al4V alloy exhibited a significant positive shift of about 150 mV in corrosion potential with the notable reduction of about one order of magnitude in corrosion current density and higher charge transfer resistance, confirming the improved barrier performance. The surface, mechanical and corrosion performance of TiAlN coating was enhanced compared to uncoated alloy.

Effect of Si content on microstructure, mechanical properties, and cutting performance of TiSiN/AlTiN dual-layer coating

Ti1-xSixN/AlTiN dual-layer coatings with different Si content were prepared by cathode arc evaporation to study the effect of Si-doping on the coatings. The composition, morphology, and microstructure of the coatings were characterized using SEM, XRD, and XPS. The hardness, elastic modulus, and adhesion strength were measured by nano-indentation and micro-scratch. Results show that coatings all consist of TiN grains and Si3N4 amorphous phases. Ti1-xSixN/AlTiN dual-layer coating has the highest hardness of 43.07 GPa at a Si content of 0.19 and the lowest elastic modulus of 314.46 GPa at a Si content of 0.25. High-speed milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was performed to evaluate the cutting performance of the coated tools. The value and amplitude of the cutting force were collected to analyze the wear condition of tools. When cutting speed at 120 m/min, the coating with a Si content of 0.19 shows the best cutting performance, having the lowest cutting force and flank wear. The higher silicon content increases the bonding of titanium alloy, influencing the stability during cutting. The lower silicon content reduces the wear resistance of the coating and shorten tool life. Suitable Si content of the coating has been proved effective in improving the cutting performance on Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

Hybrid deposition of Cr–O/Al–O hard coatings combining cathodic arc evaporation and high power impulse magnetron sputtering

Arc-evaporated (Cr, Al)2O3 coatings with high hardness and excellent chemical inertness are promising protective layers for cutting tools. However, the high surface roughness restrains their further applications in advanced machining. In this work, Cr–O/Al–O coatings were fabricated using a hybrid deposition technique combining cathode arc evaporation and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) to reduce growth defects. Process conditions involving the gas inlet, duty cycle of HiPIMS, and bias potential were optimized to deposit Cr–O/Al–O coatings with high hardness. When the O2 inlet is close to the arc evaporation cathode, hybrid deposition can proceed stably and produce oxide coatings with an oxygen content above 50 at.%. The maximum hardness of 26.9 GPa for the Cr–O/Al–O coating was achieved at a duty cycle of 2.5 % and a bias potential of −50 V. In addition, the hybrid Cr–O/Al–O coating exhibits a dominated face-centered cubic structure with a nano-multilayer geometry formed by alternating Cr–O and Al–O sublayers.

Comparative Characterization of the TiN and TiAlN Coatings Deposited on a New WC-Co Tool Using a CAE-PVD Technique

The main objective of this work was to assess and compare the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN and TiAlN coatings deposited on a new WC-Co tool using the cathodic arc evaporation vacuum deposition (CAE-PVD) technique. The cutting tool was sintered at high temperature and high pressure using a powder tungsten carbide matrix ligated with cobalt (WC-Co). Powdered grain growth inhibitors (TiC, TaC, and NbC) were admixed into the matrix to enhance its strength and to facilitate the adhesion of the Ti base coatings. Detailed scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed, aiming to substantiate the effectiveness of the inhibitor additions. XRD data were thoroughly exploited to estimate the phase contents, average crystallite sizes (D), coating thicknesses (t), texture coefficients (Thkl), and residual stress levels (σ). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to calculate the average roughness (Ra) and the root mean square (Rq). The microhardness (µHV) was measured using the Vickers method. The TiAlN characteristics (D = 55 nm, t = 3.6 μm, T200 = 1.55, µHV = 3187; σ = −2.8 GPa, Ra = 209 nm, Rq = 268 nm) compared to TiN ones (D = 66 nm, t = 4.3 μm, T111 = 1.52, µHV = 2174; σ = +2.2 GPa, Ra = 246 nm, Rq = 309 nm) substantiate the better adequacy of the TiAlN coating for the WC-Co substrate. The structural features and data on the TiN and TiAlN coatings, the tool type, the different stress kinds exerted into these coatings, and the way of discrimination of the coating adequacy are the novelties addressed in the paper.

THE PROCEDURE OF SELECTING THE VALUES OF THE WORK CONDITION PARAMETERS OF THE BALL-CRATERING METHOD FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF RESISTANCE TO ABRASIVE WEAR

In the example of the CrN coating deposited by the cathodic arc evaporation (CAE) method on two differently prepared substrates, the procedure for selecting the values of the work condition parameters of the ballcratering method was presented. The procedure was developed thanks to applying an individual experiment design from Taguchi's approach and has not been used to determine the values of the parameters of the operating conditions of the test friction node for tribological tests. The procedure, according to Taguchi, allowed us to determine the values of the parameters for assessing the abrasion resistance of anti-wear coatings, with the use of a much smaller number of tests, compared to the methods used so far and a repetitive wear mechanism. The starting point of the presented procedure was selecting the area of the permissible values of the operating parameters, in the ball-cratering method, in which optimal values were searched for to minimise the relative error in determining the diameters of wear marks craters. After determining the area of limit values, an experiment plan was generated in which the variables were: load, rotational speed, minimum friction path, and maximum friction path. The results of abrasive wear tests performed with the ball-cratering method, in accordance with the developed test procedure for the CrN coating – were deposited on the substrate after heat treatment and the substrate after the nitriding process had been successfully verified.

Wear behaviour of AlCN/AlC and FeCrN coatings developed on alloy steel

ABSTRACT The fretting wear and adhesive wear resistance of Al and Fe-based thin solid films deposited onto MDN121 steel are studied. Plasma-assisted cathodic arc evaporation technique (P-CAE) is used to develop AlCN/AlC and FeCrN monolayer coatings. The coatings and wear tracks are characterised by FESEM-EDS, nanoindentation, Raman spectroscopy, optical profiler, and confocal microscope. The results reveal that during fretting and adhesive wear, tracks are investigated using confocal microscopy and electron microscopy. When fretting wear occurs, the Coefficient of Friction (COF) dramatically decreases for AlCN/AlC thin solid films by 48.65% and for FeCrN thin solid films by 62.16% when compared to the substrate. FeCrN coating exhibits lower volumetric wear loss than AlCN/AlC coating. The wear surface morphology of both monolayer coverings against galling failure in the substrate exposes the abrasive form of the fretting wear process. Thin solid films of AlCN/AlC and FeCrN experience a COF reduction during adhesive wear of 40.89% and 56.22%, respectively, in comparison to the substrate. The FeCrN monolayer coating exhibits low friction and wear rate compared to AlCN/AlC monolayer coating.

Structure, mechanical and thermal properties of CrAlBSiN coatings prepared by cathodic arc evaporation

In this work, the effect of B and Si addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties, thermal stability and oxidation resistance of CrAlN coating was studied. Cr0.42Al0.58N, Cr0.37Al0.59B0.02Si0.02N, and Cr0.35Al0.58B0.03Si0.04N coatings were prepared by cathode arc evaporation. The three coatings all reveal single-phase cubic structure. The hardness of Cr0.37Al0.59B0.02Si0.02N coating increases to 32.5 ± 1.1 GPa compared with Cr0.42Al0.58N (30.2 ± 0.7 GPa) due to solid solution strengthening. However, the thickened grain boundary due to the segregation of excess B and Si in Cr0.35Al0.58B0.03Si0.04N slightly reduces the hardness to 31.6 ± 0.7 GPa. The addition of B and Si by 2 at.% retards the precipitation of w-AlN and the dissociation of CrN bonds of CrAlN coating upon annealing. However, the increase of B and Si contents makes no difference to the formation temperature of h-Cr2N, but promotes the formation of w-AlN during annealing. The addition B and Si endows both CrAlBSiN coatings with higher hardness after annealing in comparison with Cr0.42Al0.58N. After oxidation at 1100 °C for 15 h, Cr0.42Al0.58N, Cr0.37Al0.59B0.02Si0.02N, and Cr0.35Al0.58B0.03Si0.04N coatings show oxide layers with thicknesses of ∼2.8, ∼1.0 and ∼1.2 μm, respectively. Among the three coatings, Cr0.37Al0.59B0.02Si0.02N coating reveals the best overall performance.

Improvement of the Wear Resistance of Circular Saws Used in the First Transformation of Wood through the Utilization of Variable Engineered Micro-Geometry Performed on PVD-Coated WC-Co Tips

Reduced performance of circular saws due to premature chipping of their teeth has been a critical issue in woodcutting industry for many years. This research examined the impact of surface coating and variable engineered micro-geometry of the cutting edges of carbide teeth (tips) on the wear resistance of circular saws used in primary wood processing. CrN/CrCN/DLC, CrN/AlTiN, CrN/CrCN, and CrCN/TiSiCN were deposited on tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) substrates using the cathodic arc evaporation technique. The CrN/CrCN coating proved to be the one with highest wear resistance and adhesion among those studied. No sign of delamination was observed around the indentation of the CrN/CrCN coating after the adhesion test. Furthermore, no abrasion, delamination or crack was observed on the surface of the CrN/CrCN coating after the three-body abrasion wear test. The results of the dry-sliding wear test revealed that CrN/CrCN coating significantly decreased the wear rate of WC-Co substrates by 74%, 66% and 77% at sliding speeds of 50, 100 and 250 mm/s, respectively. Afterwards, a CrC/CrCN coating was deposited on the teeth of conventional circular saws. Next, the cutting edges of teeth were modified through variable engineered micro-geometry. Tests were conducted at a sawmill with three series of saws: 1-coated and edge-modified, 2-coated and conventional edge geometry, and 3-uncoated and edge-modified. Wood processing was performed during two shifts of 480 min each. The width of the wear land was the criterion used as the wear index. The results of industrial tests showed that saws with edge-modified teeth had significantly less chipping and no breakage at their corners compared to the saw without edge modification (conventional saw). After 480 min of sawing, the wear rate of the coated saw with edge modification decreased by 46% and 16%, compared to the coated saw without edge modification and the uncoated saw with edge-modified teeth, respectively. Those values reached 73 % and 41%, respectively, after 960 min of sawing. The study shows that by optimizing the surface chemistry and the geometry of the cutting edge of WC-Co tips, tool life can be significantly increased therefore reducing downtime due to saw replacement and resharpening, thus significantly increasing productivity in the first transformation of wood.

Structure and properties of Cr-TiBx composite coatings prepared by a hybrid technique of sputtering and arc evaporation

In this paper, Cr-TiBx coatings were deposited using a hybrid technique involving magnetron sputtering of TiB2 target and cathodic arc evaporation of Cr target. A baffle plate placed in front of the Cr target was used to adjust cathodic plasma jet area to control the deposition rate of Cr. The structure, mechanical properties and thermal stability of the coatings were researched by using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nano-indentation and temperature static oxidation in muffle furnace. The results show that the pure TiB2 coating exhibited a typical columnar structure. The microstructure of the Cr-TiBx coatings changes from nano-composite structure to alternate nano-multilayered structure as the deposition rate of Cr from low to high. The nano-composite Cr-TiBx coating is consisted of TiB2 nanograins encapsulated in the Cr-B amorphous phase, which exhibits high hardness and oxidation resistance. However, the multilayered Cr-TiBx coating is composed of metallic Cr layers and amorphous TiBx layers. The soft metallic layers as well as the amorphization of the TiBx layers result in the decrease of the coating hardness.

Improvement of Tribological Performance of TiAlNbN Hard Coatings by Adding AlCrN.

In tribological applications, the degradation of alloy nitride coatings is an issue of increasing concern. The drawbacks of monolayer hard coatings can be overcome using a multilayer coating system. In this study, single-layer TiAlNbN and multilayer TiAlNbN/AlCrN coatings with AlCrN layer addition into TiAlNbN were prepared by cathodic arc evaporation (CAE). The multilayer TiAlNbN/AlCrN showed B1 NaCl structure, and the columnar structure continued from the bottom interlayer of CrN to the top multilayers without interruption. After AlCrN addition, the TiAlNbN/AlCrN coating consisted of TiAlNbN and AlCrN multilayers with a periodic thickness of 13.2 nm. The layer thicknesses of the TiAlNbN and AlCrN were 7 nm and 6.2 nm, respectively. The template growth of the TiAlNbN and AlCrN sublayers stabilized the cubic phases. The introduction of bottom CrN and the TiAlNbN/CrN transition layers possessed com-position-gradient that improved the adhesion strength of the coatings. The hardness of the deposited TiAlNbN was 30.2 ± 1.3 GPa. The TiAlNbN/AlCrN had higher hardness of 31.7 ± 3.5 GPa and improved tribological performance (wear rate = 8.2 ± 0.6 × 10-7 mm3/Nm) than those of TiAlNbN, which were because the multilayer architecture with AlCrN addition effectively resisted abrasion wear.

The effect of Bias configuration on the properties of AlCrN based thick coatings deposited by Cathodic Arc Evaporation

Die wear in forming high strength steels (HSS) operations causes increased die maintenance cost and scrap rate, being a major obstacle for automation industries to meet upcoming market requirements. Advanced PVD (Cathodic Arc) coatings of high thicknesses (> 15 μm) can be optimum solution from both an economic and technical point of view, compared to the current CVD or duplex surface treatments. Bias voltage becomes a key parameter to minimize residual stresses in the coating during its growth while ensuring optimal mechanical properties of the coating. Different configurations and their relation to coating properties have been studied. Thick coatings (up to 18 μm thickness) with optimal adhesion have been deposited at 7 μm/h under bipolar bias voltage conditions. The as deposited coatings are showing promising performance in real deep drawing production process.

Comparative study on mechanical and tribological properties of Cr–Al–N and Cr–Al–O coatings deposited by cathodic arc evaporation

A comparative study was performed for (Cr1−xAlx)2O3 and (Cr1−xAlx)N coatings with different Al contents (x = 0, 0.5, and 0.7) concerning structural, mechanical, and tribological properties. The composition-dependent phase structure was found for Cr–Al–O coatings, where higher Al content promotes a mixed structure of cubic and minor amorphous phases. Moreover, the mixed-phase structure results in lower indentation hardness, ∼27 GPa, and residual compressive stress, ∼ −4 GPa, as compared to Cr2O3 and Cr–Al–N coatings. Besides, (Cr0.5Al0.5)2O3 and (Cr0.3Al0.7)2O3 show worse wear resistance with a wear rate higher than 1.0 × 10−5 mm3/N·m at 200 − 600 °C due to reduced hardness and lower residual stress. A higher bias potential of −150 V induces higher compressive residual stress and hardness, which is beneficial to the high-temperature wear resistance of Cr–Al–O coatings.

Silicon addition as a way to control properties of tribofilms and friction of DLC coatings

DLC-Si coatings obtained by cathodic arc evaporation on the (CrAlSi)N sublayer were investigated. The effect of Si addition to DLC on the ID/IG ratio, surface morphology, elastic modulus of surface layers, distribution of elastic modulus and microhardness (over the surface and depth of the coating), specific surface energy, coefficient of friction, wear, and thickness of nanoscale layers formed during friction was studied. The nanoscale thickness of the secondary structures has been evaluated by atomic force microscopy for the first time. It has been established that secondary structures are assembled into nanosized layers and chains, which is explained by sp2 bonds between nanosized clusters. The most hardened layer after friction is formed on the DLC + 0.8 % Si coating. The maps of the elasticity modulus and microhardness distributions are presented. The significant contact pressure is the driving force causing the transformation of the DLC phases during friction. According to the results of microtribotests in wear tracks after macrotests, the average values of the coefficient of friction from microtests correlate with the thickness of the secondary structures on the silicon content of the coatings and with the specific volumetric wear of the coating (for the DLC + 5 % Si coating have the highest values).

Investigation of corrosion and tribological characteristics of annealed CrN/CrAlN coatings deposited by CAE-PVD

In this work, the variation of tribological and corrosion performances of as-deposited and annealed CrN/CrAlN multilayer coatings on 304 stainless steel substrates deposited by the cathodic arc evaporation process was investigated. It was found that annealing resulted in the decomposition of CrN to Cr2N. Also, the surface roughness increased as the annealing temperature increased due to the coalescence of macroparticles. Thus, the wettability of annealed samples decreased as the annealing temperature increased. The hardness decreased as the annealing temperature increased due to the increase in the crystallite size. The sample annealed at 400 °C had the lowest wear rate of 3.04 × 10−5 mm3/Nm and 6.4 × 10−5 mm3/Nm in ambient air and Ringer's solution, respectively, due to the optimum ratio of CrN and Cr2N, minimum crystallite growth, and optimum adhesion strength. Based on the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, the highest corrosion resistance was observed in the specimen annealed at 700 °C, which can be attributed to the existence of Cr2N and larger crystallite size in this multilayer coating.

EFFECT OF ARC CURRENT ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF AlCrN COATINGS DEPOSITED USING CATHODIC ARC EVAPORATION

The AlCrN coatings were formed using cathodic arc evaporation at constant nitrogen pressure and arc current ranged from 50 to 120 A. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis, X-ray diffractometry, nanoindentation, adhesion tests and friction tests were used to investigate the effect of arc current on surface morphology, composition, structure, and mechanical and tribological properties of coatings. It was found that all coatings present cubic AlCrN with Al/(Al+Cr) ratio independent on arc current. Increase in the arc current results in increase in lattice parameter, crystallite size as well as deposition rate and coating surface roughness. A decrease in hardness with a simultaneous increase in Young's modulus is also observed. The adhesion of the coatings shows a non-linear character with the maximum (108 N) for the coating formed at an arc current of 80 A, which may explain the best wear resistance – the lowest wear rate 1.4·10-7 mm3/Nm.

EFFECT OF NITROGEN PRESSURE ON THE STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF V-Mo-N COATINGS DEPOSITED BY CATHODIC ARC EVAPORATION

The coatings of the V-Mo-N system were deposited by the cathodic arc evaporation method from the unfiltered plasma of two V and Mo cathodes. Electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis, X-ray diffractometry, nanoindentation, and adhesion testing have been used to study the effect of nitrogen pressure during deposition on surface morphology, composition, structure, and mechanical properties of coatings. It was found that at a nitrogen pressure of 1 Pa the V29Mo21N50 coating formed with a predominantly cubic c-(V,Mo)N structure and an insignificant fraction of hexagonal h-(Mo,V)N. With an increase in the pressure of the reaction gas to 2…3 Pa, a gradual increase in the concentration of nitrogen up to 54 at.% and molybdenum up to 26 at.% is observed, which leads to a slight increase in the hexagonal phase concentration. All coatings are characterized by a fairly good surface quality, high hardness of 30…32 GPa and adhesion to the steel substrate. The c-(V,Mo)N coating has better resistance to crack propagation, correlates with a maximum H3/E2 – 0.18, and combines high hardness and ductility.

The effect of substrate surface integrity on the surface properties of TiCrN coating applied via the CAE‐PVD method

AbstractThis study aims to investigate how the predeposition machining processes such as magnetic grinding, turning machining, and wire electrical discharge machining can influence the surface properties including electrochemical and tribological behavior of TiCrN nanostructured coating applied on Mo40 steel substrate. A physical vapor deposition technique using cathodic arc evaporation was used to apply the coating. The crystallographic phases and the microstructure of the coating were studied by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. Rockwell‐C, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization, and pin‐on‐disk wear tests were employed to evaluate the adhesion strength, corrosion behavior, and tribological property of specimens, respectively. The electrochemical results after 24 h of exposure to 3.5 wt% NaCl solution showed that TiCrN coating pretreated with a turning process with polarization resistance of about 3525.32 Ω.cm2 had the best corrosion resistance among all specimens. This was because of the improvement of the smoothness, surface quality, and adhesion after the turning process. On the other, the friction coefficient of the grounded sample is less than that of other ones. This is probably due to its higher adhesion strength and higher surface smoothness.

Tailoring the Hybrid Magnetron Sputtering Process (HiPIMS and dcMS) to Manufacture Ceramic Multilayers: Powering Conditions, Target Materials, and Base Layers.

The mechanical and wear behavior of CrN/CrAlN multilayers were improved by tailoring the experimental conditions of a hybrid magnetron sputtering process based on a high-power impulse (HiPIMS) and two direct current magnetron sputtering (dcMS) power supplies. To this end, the influence of the base layer and of the combination of Cr and CrAl targets, which were switched to the dcMS and HiPIMS power supplies in different configurations, were investigated with respect to the growth of ceramic CrN/CrAlN multilayers onto commercial gas-nitrided diesel piston rings. The microstructure, grain morphology, and mechanical properties were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and instrumented nanoindentation. Bench wear tests simulating the operation of a combustion engine were conducted against a gray cast iron cylinder liner under reciprocating conditions using 0W20 oil as a lubricating agent enriched with Al2O3 particles. The results revealed a significant increase in hardness, resistance to plastic strain, and wear resistance when two CrAl targets were switched to a HiPIMS and a dcMS power supply, and a Cr target was powered by another dcMS power supply. The compressive coating stresses were slightly reduced due to the soft Cr base layer that enabled stress relief within the multilayer. The proposed concept of hybrid magnetron sputtering outperformed the commercial PVD coatings of CrN for diesel piston rings manufactured by cathodic arc evaporation.