To improve surface hardness, reduce galling and improve wear and / or corrosion resistance a coating may be added. Precision HG offers a variety of quality coating options designed to achieve optimum tool life.

Wear resistant surface treatments offer great benefit to stamping tools when applied appropriately. While there are many good surface treatments and processes to choose from, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coatings are ideally suited and typically the best option for use on precision slip and press fit punch components.

Selecting the right surface treatment and substrate tool steel combination is critical for achieving optimum tool life. PVD coatings provide excellent abrasion and galling resistance while maintaining the integrity of many substrate tool steels. These coatings work best when applied to high speed tool steels such as M-2, PM-M4, and T-15. A few select cold work tool steel grades can also be PVD coated successfully as long as they maintain at least a 60 HRC when tempered at or above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is important to note that the PVD process is a line of sight process, which may limit the ability to coat interior contours and features. For these applications, nitriding, which case-hardens all exposed surfaces is recommended.

Below is a list of standard PVD coatings offered by Precision Punch Corporation.

Additional coatings are available upon request.

Stamping Operations

P-Tride— (Nitride)

TiN – (Titanium Nitride) PVD Coating
Titanium nitride was the first general-purpose coating, and the PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating remains an extremely popular and inexpensive choice for wear resistant coatings on cutting tools, punching or forming applications. The TiN treatment provides excellent lubricity and wear resistance on cutting edges and wear surfaces.

Works best when used with lubricants.
Extreme micro hardness 2300 Vickers*.
TiN is not recommended for stainless steel, nickel or copper applications.

P-Wear™

p>This is a dual-process surface treatment/coating process. By providing an extremely hard coating on top of a less hard but tough surface treatment, load is distributed throughout the tool. This can prevent premature tool failure in applications, such as extracting or forming, where tools endure isolated stress or load on small areas.

Provides excellent toughness with high micro hardness of 2300 Vickers*.
P-Wear™ is not recommended for use in stainless steel, nickel and copper applications and is most effective when used with lubricants.

P-Wear Extreme™

With the same superior qualities as P-Wear™, this dual-process surface treatment/coating process also offers a greater hardness and lower coefficient of friction, translating into higher wear resistance.

Provides excellent micro hardness of 3000 Vickers*.
P-Wear Extreme™ is recommended as a superior choice for stainless steel, nickel and copper applications as well as for shaving operations.

MoST™ – (Titanium CarboNitride with Molybdenum Disulfide)

PVD w/Moly Top Coating MoST™ coating provides longer tool life through reduced operating friction and galling. The highly lubricious top layer coat is perfect for stamping of pre-painted material and plated material applications.

Offers extremely high lubricity.
Provides micro hardness of 2000 Vickers*.
MoST™ is especially effective with stainless, HSLA grades, and high tensile strength stainless.
MoST™ also offers an additional special heat treatment enhancement
process to optimize toughness.
MoST™ is a trademark of IonBond® Inc.

Alcrona™ – (Aluminum Chromium Nitride) PVD Coating

This multifunctional aluminum and chromium coating is ideal for a very wide variety of high temperature and high strength cutting tools and for punching and forming applications. The treatment creates excellent wear resistance, thermal shock stability and high hot hardness properties. The enhanced performance is due to the advantages of thermal stability, low coefficient of friction, and ductility.

Exceptionally low coefficient of friction.
Extraordinary high thermal ability.
Extremely high micro hardness of 3400 Vickers*.
Alcrona™ is a trademark of Oerlikon Balzers.

Tin - (Titanium Nitride) PVD Coating

Titanium Nitride was the first general-purpose coating, and the PVD (physical vapor desposition) coating remains an extremely popular and inexpensive choice for wear resistant coatings on cutting tools, punching or forming applications. The TiN treatment provides excellent lubricity and wear resistance on cutting edges and wear surfaces.

Works best when used with lubricants.
Extreme micro hardness 2300 Vickers*.
TiN is not recommended for stainless steel, nickel or copper applications.

TiCN – (Titanium CarboNitride) PVD Coating

Adding carbon to a TiN film creates a PVD coating that increases hardness by nearly 80% resulting in extremely high wear resistance on cutting edges and wear surfaces. TiCN has the broadest range of applications among PVD coatings for enhanced performance and longer tool life.

Extremely high micro hardness of 3000 Vickers*.
TiCN is recommended for stainless steel, nickel or copper applications.

TiAIN – (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) PVD Coating

This is the coating of choice for high temperature applications where surface heat is generated. The aluminum in the film converts to aluminum oxide as the coating heats up, resulting in greater protection against shear stress and increased wear resistance on cutting edges. TiAIN coating is often used to protect dies and molds that are operated at high temperatures as in medium and hot forging and extrusion industries

High thermal stability.
Extremely high micro hardness of 3400 Vickers*.
Effectively used to machine titanium, aluminum and nickel alloys, stainless steels,
alloy steels, Co-Cr-Mo and cast irons.