Coating Selection Guidlines
TiN (Titanium Nitride) This coating has become the choice for general machining and wear applications. It works well when shops are machining carbon steels and stainless steels. The coating is also a favorite for decorative items that need a gold appearance and good wear resistance. Injection molders find it works superior to chrome and nickel wet bath platings for release, wear and corrosion protection. Rubber molders have found the coating to provide better release and corrosion properties than wet bath platings.
TiN-LT (Low Temperature Titanium Nitride) NCT's low temperature titanium nitride is an excellent choice for substrate materials that may be adversely affected by the temperatures associated with standard PVD processes. The standard process temperature is 500 degrees Fahrenheit, however, runs have been designed as low as 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Customers can now receive all of the benefits associated with titanium nitride on a wide range of substrate materials. Injection mold tooling that cannot withstand the high processing temperature, chopping and slitting blades, wear components, beryllium copper and associated alloys and brazed carbide tooling are just a few of the applications for this process. TiCN (Titanium Carbonitride) This coating provides higher abrasion resistance and a lower friction coefficient than TiN, CrN and TiAlN but it has a lower temperature threshold. It is superior to the TiN when machining stainless steels, high nickel alloys, cast iron, non-ferrous materials and plastics. AlTiN (Aluminum Titanium Nitride) This coating has the highest temperature resistance of any of the coatings available. It also provides a high degree of surface hardness and maintains that hardness at elevated temperatures. It is the coating of choice when you are dry machining, machining titanium alloys, inconel, stainless alloys and cast iron. The advantage of the AlTiN film is its ability to produce the Al2O3 when high temperatures are encountered. Chromium Nitride A good tribological coating and the best coating for corrosion protection CrN is a versatile performance coating. On steel substrates our CrN coating provides improved adhesion, oxidation resistance and corrosion protection compared to titanium based coatings. In difficult, demanding forming applications CrN has excelled in providing increased tool life. If you are machining titanium CrN will provide you with increased tool life under specific operating conditions. The die casting industry has experienced remarkable gains in tool life due to the protection from heat checking and die wear provided by the chromium based coatings. Injection molders have also experienced improved performance when using the CrN coating in place of wet bath hard chrome plating. ZrN (Zirconium Nitride) This coating has become the choice for machining, forming or punching nonferrous materials and plastics. It can also be used to machine cast iron alloys as well. The coating is a favorite for decorative items that require a brass appearance and good wear resistance. ZrN can be used as a barrier film for corrosion protection..
