Well Work Engineering 2-1

Introduction
Using coatings on metal components and tools is becoming increasingly popular and necessary, as these items are required to perform tasks that are beyond the capabilities of the base metal. One of the main reasons for using coatings is to increase the surface hardness far beyond the ability of conventional heat treatment. This is where Physical Vapour Deposited (PVD) type coatings are particularly useful. Their hardness is typically 3-4 times harder than heat treated steel, and because the coating follows the shape of the component exactly and is only typically 3 microns thick, often no tolerance change is necessary to accommodate the coating. Tocvoct, part of The Well Work Engineering, offer a range of Ultra hard PVD coatings deposited by electron beam evapouration, it is the smoothest and most defectfree method of PVD coating. The coatings offered cover most applications but high quality nature of the coatings make them more suitable for high value precision components and tools such as, surgical implants and instruments, gas turbine blades, motor sport components, coining dies etc. Tocvoct also offers a contract Ion Implantation service. This is carried out under vacuum at low temperatures and imparts hardness and fatigue resistance to the material without any risk of distortion. It is especially suitable for very high precision items that are not suitable for coating at elevated temperatures.

1. Titanium Nitride (TiN)

Titanium Nitride is a bright gold ceramic coating applied to metallic surfaces by the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process. The coating has high hardness and low friction combined with moderate resistance to oxidization. Tecvac produces TiN coatings using a process of electron beam evapouration under vacuum at a work piece temperature of about 480 This method of manufacturer C. results in coatings which are very smooth and require no post coating processing. TiN coatings are widely used to improve the life and performance of cutting and press tools. The high hardness and low friction characteristics of the coating combine to make the coating extremely cost effective in the general reduction of tool wear.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-2

TiN is every versatile product and since its introduction as a wear reduction coating during the 1980s it has become the 'workhorse' of the coatings industry. Uses include the coating of cutting tools, shaper cutters, drills, taps, dies, mills and press tools of all types. The coating has a very attractive bright gold color, and this distinctive feature has resulted in TiN also being used in a number of decorative applications. Applications

Cutting Tools - drills, mills, reamers and taps Gear cutting tools - hobs and shaper cutters Plastic moulding tools - especially high finish tools Press tools - stamping and cold forming

Typical Properties

Appearance: Bright gold metallic color Coating Thickness: 1-4 m Hardness: 2300 Hv Melting Point: 2800 C Max Operating Temp: 500 C Structure: face centered cubic Lattice Parameter: 4.212A Molecular Weight 61.9 Hardness: 2600 HV (0.01) approx. Melting point 2950 deg C

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-3

Density: 5.42 m/cm3 Thermal Conductivity 0.07 cal/cm sec.deg. at 100 C - 0.019 cal/cm sec.deg. at 600 deg Electrical Resistibility: 24 ohm cm Electrical Conductivity 0.042 ( ohm cm)-1 Temperature Coefficient 950 ppm.K-1 Linear thermal Expansion coefficient 8.5 x 10-6 K-1 Friction Coefficient TiN/TiN 0.08 - 0.25 (Static) - TiN/TiN 0.05 - 0.15 (dynamic) - Tin/HSS 0.25 - 0.35 (Static) Elastic modulus 600 Gpa Corrosion Resistance: Chemically very inert, insoluble in all acids except HF. Insoluble in all alkalis. Oxidation resistance in air to 400 deg C Toxicity: used in medical prosthesis, US Food & Drug Administration has no objection to the use of TiN in the food processing industry.

2. Chromium Nitride (CrN)

Chromium Nitride is a bright silver/grey colored ceramic coating applied to metallic surfaces by the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process. The coating has high hardness and excellent toughness combined with good resistance to oxidation. Tocvoct produce CrN coatings using a process of electron beam evapouration under vacuum at a work piece temperature of about 480 This method of manufacture C. results in coatings which are very smooth and require no post coating processing.

CrN out-performs titanium-based coatings for certain applications. It is resistant to corrosion and adhesive wear, particularly related to working non-ferrous metals. Copper, aluminium or titanium can be increased by 50-100% over the TiN performance. The lifetime of tooling, cutting or forming CrN can be deposited at 205 if necessary, C but it can be used up to 600 Normal deposition temperature is 405 Coefficient of C. C. friction is not quite as good as TiN (0.4 versus 0.3 on steel) Hardness is approximately 2000 HVN, which compares with hard chrome plate at 1000 HVN and high speed steel in a hardened condition of typically 950 HVN. (TiN is around 25000 HVN).

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-4

Applications

Die casting - cores and cavities Machining of non-ferrous metals Deep drawing - aluminium and copper Coining

CrN coatings are widely used as an alternative to titanium base coatings such as TiN in application involving the cutting and forming of non-ferrous materials. The coating is resistant to corrosion and adhesive wear. CrN is also effective in reducing erosion and heat checking in alluminium and zinc die casting. CrN resists oxidation up to 600 compared with 480 for TiN coatings. C C Application and typical results Coining Dies Working alloys that include Cu, Ni, Ag, Sn and Au 4 x life Copper Drawing, extrusion and cutting 6 x life Alluminium die-casting, extrusion, and drawing dies 2 x life Hot forging tools 3 x life Machining alluminium alloy with high silicon content 2 x life Drilling hard materials 10 x life Machining Inconel, sliding wear reduction, Monel and other high strength alloys3-5 x life Thickness CrN has a much lower internal stress level than TiN and because of this can be put down in thicker layers without adhesion problems. Coatings of specialist application can be made up to 15 microns thick. Standard coating thickness is 3 microns.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-5

Die Casting Study Fine Detail in core pin suffered from adhesive problems when die casting LM4 Alluminium material. Pick-up that took place within the webs resulted in rejected castings. Two days operation between equipment strips down. Surface of core needed to be protected from the severity of the pressure fed Alluminium. The surface also required a release capability to improve production runs and better component quality. The cores were cleaned, micro blasted and coated with Chromium Nitride (CrN). Casting release and quality was instantly better. Production went from two days to weeks and weeks plus. Material: core pin AISI H13 [Orvar] Heat Treatment: Vacuum 46-48HRC Surface: micro blasted Core Dimensions: 40 x 80mm Core Value: 1,800 CrN Cost: 72.00 Features

CrN hardness 2000 HVN (twice hardness of hard chrome) Thin accurate coating Normally around 3 microns Coating duplicates finish of the tooling

Benefits Productivity increased by 700% for an investment of 4% in Tocvoct's Chromium Nitride.

3. Titanium Carbo Nitride (TiCN)

TiCN is designed for more demanding applications; coatings are normally 3 microns thick and have a hardness of 3000 HV compared to 2500 Hv for TiN. Applications in the majority of cases are for cutting tools with an interrupted cutting action and mainly in the machining high strength steel, stainless steels and others where high impact shock to tool cutting edges is to be expected.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-6

The TiCN coating is deposited at approximately 450 and is resistant to oxidization in C air up to 350 C. Milling cutters (roughing) 5x life Broaching 3 x life Gear Cutting 4-6 x life Side and face cutters 2 x life Press Tools [piercing] 4-6 x life Chopping Blades 4 x life Thickness TiCN is normally used at a thickness of 3 microns. Certain circumstances allow this to be increased. Coating is deposited in a vacuum at a temperature of approximately 450 C.

4. Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiAlN)

Titanium Aluminum Nitride is a bright blue/black colored ceramic coating applied to suitably prepared surfaces by the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process. The coating is of extreme hardness, has low coefficient of friction with most metallic surfaces and resists oxidation up to 800 C. Tocvoct produces TiAlN coatings using a process of electron beam evapouration under vacuum at a work piece temperature of about 408 This method of manufacture C. results in coatings which are very smooth and require no post coating processing. The highly adherent deposited films strongly resist oxidation, abrasive and adhesive wear. Typical Properties Coating Thickness 1-4m Hardness 3000 Hv Max Operating Temp 800 C Coefficient of Friction against Steel (dry) 0.4 Applications Dry Machining Machining of hardened tools and dies TiAlN coating will out perform titanium based coatings such as TiN in many applications involving the cutting and machining of ferrous materials particularly with high rates of feed and speed.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-7

The coating is particularly resistant to oxidation and can operate at the high temperatures required for dry machining processes.

5. Nitron O
Titanium alloys have very attractive strength-to-weight ratios, good fatigue strength and outstanding corrosion properties. However, these alloys have rather poor tribological characteristics resulting in problems with wear. In lightly loaded applications the performance can be greatly improved by coating with PVD Titanium Nitride (TiN), but in the case of higher loads, a process which can improve the load bearing capacity of the material is required. Tocvoct has developed the Nitron process to solve this problem. The components are treated using a duplex process in which a nitrided diffusion zone is produced beneath a PVD hard coating.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-8

This patented technology results in coatings which are highly adhered and supported by a hardened subsurface layer. Applications

Aerospace and Sub-sea Motor sport Chemical Plant and Food Processing Load Bearing Ti Components

Nitron processing is carried out under vacuum at 700 At this temperature there is C. minimal detrimental effect to fatigue properties but bonding of the coating layer to the diffused zone is greatly enhanced. Applications for Nitron are in areas where titanium alloys are preferred but high loading wear conditions exist.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-9

6. Nitron MC
Nitron MC is a dark grey-black hard carbon coating applied in an advanced Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) process. The coating has exceptional tribological properties due to its high hardness (1000Hv) and a very low coefficient of friction (0.1). The graded structure gives outstanding adhesion and toughness making it suitable for wear reduction in many sliding applications. Tocvoct Nitron MC is carried out in purpose built processing machines which allow the deposition to be carried out at low temperatures (150 to 250 C). The coating has a very smooth finish requiring no postprocess operations.

Typical Properties Coating thickness 2-4 m Hardness 1000Hv Coefficient of Friction 0.1 - 0.15 Max Operating Temp 300 C

Applications Engine Components Transmission Systems Hydraulic Components Sliding Wear Parts The low coating temperature allows Nitron MC to be deposited on a very wide range of materials including case hardened steel engine and transmission parts.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-10

The main applications of the coating are:

Auto sport Aerospace Precision Engineering

7. Nitron CA
A very high performance coating based on the Chromium Aluminum Nitride system with a very distinctive pale blue/silver appearance. Nitron-CA has exceptional oxidation resistance and hot hardness which makes it suitable of the most demanding cutting and forming tools. In particular, Nitron-CA offers outstanding performance for gear cutting, milling and turning operations. Typical Properties:

Coating Thickness: 3-5m Hardness: 3000Hv Process Temperature: 350 - 450 C Max Operating Temp 1050 C

Applications:

Gear Cutting Milling Die Casting Forming of Non-Ferrous Materials

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-11

8. Diamolith (DLC)
A coating of extreme hardness and low friction produced by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). The material contains carbon and hydrogen bonded in sp3 and sp2 structures resulting in the excellent combination of mechanical properties. The coating is a very dark grey to black color and very smooth in texture. Disposition temperatures are low and the coating can be successfully applied to steel, alluminium and titanium alloy substrates.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-12

Diamond-like Carbon Coatings (DLC) can be applied in a wide range of application where the exciting combination of hardness and lubricity can extend life and improve performance. For tooling the high abrasion resistance and low sticking properties can improve life and decrease production costs. Many mechanical wear parts can benefit especially in low and marginal lubrication conditions. The coating has good bio-compatibility with no inflammatory presence and low platelet adherence, making the process attractive for the coating of many types of biomedical implant. Typical Properties:

Coating Thickness: 3-5m Hardness: 4500Hv Coefficient of Friction: 0.05 (self) 0.1 (steel) Electrical Resistively: 10 ohm cm Process Temperature 200 - 300 C Max Operating Temperature: 400 C

Applications:

Tools for forming and Punching Wear parts and Components Plastic Moulding Tools Biomedical Implants

9. Cali-Coat
Cali-Coat is a specially developed coating for calibration and extrusion tools using the PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process. The Coating gives prolonged life of the calibrator in both brass and steel by reducing surface friction and increasing the surface hardness (2000/3000Hv). This is also combined with a very high level of adhesion that avoids flaking of the coating.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-13

Other benefits of the Cali-Coat PVD process are that the coating follows the geometry of the tool with no build up on edges, cavities or vacuum slots. It also gives a replica finish of polished areas on the tool and therefore no polishing is necessary after coating. Technical Information Coating thickness Hardness Coefficient of Friction Max Operating Temp Material Coated Color Deposition Turnaround Chemical Properties

6-25m 2000 - 25000Hv 0.4 Static 650 C Brass, Copper and Steel Silver Electron beam PVD 5 - 7 days Inert, non-toxic. Compatible with solvents, fuels and lubricant oils.

Applications The principal application for the Cali-Coat process in the treatment of extrusion and calibration tools used in the uPVC profile industry. The coating greatly reduces wear on tools and dies sets resulting in longer production runs and reduced downtime. The sustained high finish on the tooling produces product with enhanced quality and the low wear characteristics of the coating enabled dimensional accuracy of the product to be maintained over long periods. Tecvac are also able to offer strip coatings and recoat tooling using the Cali-Coat process.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-14

Case Study Application Tool Materials Finish Extruded Product Previous Treatment New Treatment Results Previous treatment Cali-Coat uPVC Window Profile extrusion 2316, 70/30 Brass Polished uPVC window grade Hard Chrome Plate Cali-Coat 26 m

17,000m 100,000+ m

10. Ion Implantation

The ion implantation process has been developed to modify the surface properties of materials by using a combination of chemical and physical effects.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-15

The material to be treated is bombarded by an intense beam of high energy ions (usually Nitrogen) which penetrate the surface, resulting in the build up of a subsurface zone of highly doped and compressively stressed structure. The doping Nitrogen ions form very finely dispersed nitrides and there is consequently increase in surface hardness and wear resistance. The compressive stresses induced strongly resist crack propagation which further improves the durability of the treated surface. Because the process does not rely on diffusion for the doping of Nitrogen into the surface, (all the energy being supplied by the very high kinetic energy of the ion beam) there is no need to heat the work piece and the process is carried out near room temperature. This means that very many materials which are not suitable for other surface enhancements techniques, such as PVD coating. Can be successfully treated by Ion Implantation. This process is particularly suitable for bio-implants as there are no compatibility problems or the risk of surface failure as there may be with coated parts. The benefit of ion implantation for the reduction of wear on the surface of prosthetic implants in materials such as titanium and cobalt/chromium is now being demonstrated.

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-16

Applications

Plastic Moulding Tools and Injection Screws Paper Slitting Tools Precision Press Tools Biomedical Implants

The principal applications for nitrogen ion implantation are in the improvements of surfaces subject to medium abrasive wear. The life of plastic moulding cores, cavities, nozzles and gate pads used for glass and mineral filled materials can be improved. Implantation in hard chromium plating can substantially enhance the life of tools such as calibration dies and precision press tools. Typically Materials, whose composition, surface finish or extreme value make then unsuitable for high temperature treatments, can be cost effectively enhanced by the II process. Case Study of Ion Implanted Prostheses Material Results Changes in hardness were measured using nanoindentation techniques to profile the hardness with depth. The implanted layer showed substantial increases in hardness (30 - 50%) to a depth of 0.1m. It was also noted that the raised hardness extended well beyond the range of the nitrogen ions and is thought that this effect is due to the raising of compressive stresses in the near surface layers. The ion penetration depth measured by Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM) was approximately 0.15m. The maximum nitrogen concentration was detected at a depth of 0.1 m. No changes in surface roughness were observed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Measurements of contact angle of high purity water droplets were carried out and a significant reduction was observed on the implanted surface indicating an increase in wet ability. Treatment Conditions Substrate Material CoCrMo Surface Finish <0.05m Ion Dose 1 x 10^17 ions.cm2 Ion Energy 92keV Ion Species N+ and N2+

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-17

Summary Conclusions The implantation of Nitrogen ions in CoCrMo alloys has a beneficial effect on the surface hardness due to the introduction of compressive stresses and the formation of very finely distributed nitrides. The penetration depth is about 0.15m and there is no change in the surface finish though wet ability is improved.

11. Tungsten Di-Sulphide (WS2)

Tungsten Disulphide is a very low friction coating applied - at room temperature, originally developed by NASA as a dry lubricant for spacecraft components operating in a vacuum. The applied coating follows the geometry of the tool or component with no build up on edges. It can be used on all metals and even some plastics.WS2 can be used on heat treated components and over many engineering coatings. Items up to 2000kg may be treated. Typical Properties Coating Thickness Hardness Coefficient of Friction Color Max Operating Temp Air -273 to 6S0 C C Vacuum -188 to 1316 C C Chemical Inert, non toxic. Compatible with solvents, fuels and lubricant oils

0 .5m 30Rc Dynamic - 0.030 Static - 0.070 Grey

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-18

Applications

Plastic Moulding - enhances flow and aids release Motor sport bearings & gearboxes - reduces power losses & wear Zinc Die Casting - prevents seizing of ejectors and moving parts Vacuum & cryogenic - low friction dry lubricant with low out gassing Cutting and forming tools - extends working life Threaded & splinted components - reduces fretting, galling & seizing Marine Applications - long term lubricant in sea water

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing

Well Work Engineering 2-19

Ridwan : Heat Treatments, Coating & Anodizing