Coatings

PVD-coatings are only a few thousandths of a millimetre “thick”, yet over the last decades they have gained enormously in significance for high performance tooling and precision components.

They are many times harder than tool steel and offer an excellent wear protection.

They are chemically inert and prevent surfaces moving over each other from fretting or galling.

Nevertheless, because they are so “thin” (typically 0,5–4 µm), they are flexible and can follow to the deflections of their substrates without losing their bond.

The choice of suitable coating decides whether the targeted financial objective can be achieved under the given conditions for the application.

In many cases, the objectives sought can be achieved with established standard coatings.

Yet the properties, coating materials, alloys, and different coating layers allow customised solutions so that even unusual problems can find their successful economical effort.

The optimal results are obtained with a customised solution combining surface finish, PVD, and WS2 lubricant coating for minimised friction.

Polished, grinded, etched, grained, and EDM surfaces and even sharp edges remain nearly unchanged. Tight production tolerances change only within the constraints of the coating’s thickness, so this coating is applied as the last step in production.