Coatings

Coatings used to increase durability and productivity of cutters

Main benefit of PVD coats consists in the extension of service life and increase of productivity of milling cutters at chip machining. The coats are known for:

- High surface hardness
- High abrasion resistance
- Friction coeficient reduction
- Reduction of tranfer of heat in the tool

ZPS-Frézovací nástroje has the supplier of the coat. This coat will be offered as a standard coat that will be maintained in stock for catalogued plain face milling cutters (DIN 844) and slotting cutters (DIN 327) in the future period. The aim is to shorten delivery terms of coated tools and to simplify selection of the correct coat for the end users. 
 
To be said shortly, it is possible to increase the standard cutting speed of an uncoated tool 1.3 times (in case of TiN), 1.4 times (TiCN) and 1.5 times (TiAlN, AlTiN). These values are only approximate as they depend on many factors such as cooling, suitable machine, correct selection of coat for the material being machined etc.
 
The technology of cathode arc steaming that is most frequently used method in the world is utilized for application of hard abrasion resistant coats. Coating is made using the Platit Swiss technology.

TiAlN

A universal coat for machining of a wide range of materials with medium and higher strength at medium and higher cutting speeds. It has excellent hardness – toughness ratio thanks to a multi-layer structure. Thanks to higher oxidation resistance and hardness at higher temperatures, it does not require perfect cooling.

AlTiN

A coat with very high oxidation resistance suitable for demanding applications such as milling at high cutting speeds or milling without cooling. The coat is suitable for machining of e.g. nodular cast iron, steels with high strength or steels for forging.

AlCrN

Coating with very high wear resistance and excellent hot hardness.

CrN

Coating with very low residual stress and high hardness and low coefficitent of friction. Perfect for non ferrous metals.

ZrN

Coating with high corrosion resistance and high hardness with low coefficitent of friction. Ideal for machining aluminum alloys, cupper alloys or plastics.

TiN

Standard, universal hard layer. In comparison with uncoated tools it provides 300-400% increase in tool life. We recommend cooling.

TiSiN

Coating with excellent hardness, high heat and oxidation resistance.It is usually applied to high-speed cutting tools used on CNC machines for machining hardened steels from 50 to 65 HRC.

TiCN

Provides high hardness and at the same time good toughness. Its advantage is in low friction ratio. It is applicable for boring of steels with high strength. It has a lower temperature stability – the cooling is necessary (for example with emulsion).

Ta-C

Ta-C coating is designed for machining non-ferrous metals, aluminium alloys with higher Si content, copper, brass, bronze and plastics. Due to its small thickness, very low coefficient of friction and low tendency to stick, ta-C coating is suitable for materials with a tendency to stick as it prevents build-up on cutting edges.

Pasivation (PAS)

Pasivaton (oxidation) is a process which leads to cover the surface of tool with iron oxide. This oxide layer protects the surface, and acts as a good carrier of lubricants.

Polishing

The polished surface improves chip evacuation in soft or sticky non-ferrous materials. Polishing facilitates chip evacuation and prevents material sticking to cutting edges and grooves.