History
The company founders Torsten Rosell and Henrik Ljungcrantz started Impact Coatings in 1997, as a spin off from Linköping University.
The basic idea was to develop PVD as a replacement to traditional wet plating. An upcoming need was identified for coating technology that is more cost-efficient and environment-friendly than the traditional methods. The company has since then developed deposition systems and deposition processes for mass-produced parts.
A selection of milestones achieved:
| 1997 | Founded by Torsten Rosell and Henrik Ljungcrantz |
| 2002 | First InlineCoater™ shipment, for semiconductor application |
| 2004 | IPO (listed at Nasdaq First North Growth Market) |
| 2007 | First InlineCoater™ 300 shipment, for decorative eyewear coatings |
| 2008 | Technical approval of PVD coatings for fuel cells |
| 2009 | First InlineCoater™ 500 shipment, for decorative mobile phone coatings |
| 2009 | Development agreement with mobile phone company around MAXPHASE™ contact coatings |
| 2010 | First PlastiCoater™ 200 and PlastiCoater™ 400 delivered, for plastic metallization |
| 2011 | International launch of Silver MAXPHASE™ replacement of gold |
| 2012 | Ceramic MAXPHASE™ introduced as the best cost/performance solution for bipolar plates for fuel cells |
| 2014 | Lean PVD™ plastic metallization established in automotive industry for decorative trim parts |
| 2015 | Ceramic MAXPHASE™ selected for first production fuel cell for cars |
| 2017 | Technical approval and shipment of INLINECOATER™R for automotive lighting reflectors |
| 2019 | Technical approval and shipment of INLINECOATER™FC for fuel cell bipolar plates |
| 2019 | Joint development agreement (JDA) with Hyundai Motor Company on fuel cell coating solutions |
