Coating systems are chemical treatments used on machine cutting tools. Cutting tools can be extremely expensive and they wear down over time. Machine shops have generally tried to find unique ways to increase the life of their tools and coating systems have been the quantity one way to do this.
Coating systems can greatly increase the longevity of the tool. They can also help with lubricant cost, volume heat buildup, increasing shelf lifestyle, lifetime dimensional control and lubricity. Even a very thin coating of coating can make a large difference in the performance and life of a tool. It is for this reason that machine tool shops invest a lot of money into the research and selection of a coating system.To know more about coating services visit Surface coating India and Ceramic coating India
Now, the best solution for a tool coating system depends on the application or work material. What is the tool being used for? How is it being worn down? What surfaces does the tool perform edge grinding or shaping on?
Tools just get worn out over time due to friction. The metals (or work material) the tools cut or shape have an effect on the tool. It all depends on how hard the metallic is and other factors, but it's only a matter of time before a tool is unusable. This is known as surface wear.
There are two major categories of surface wear: adhesive wear and abrasive wear.
Adhesive wear, known as galling also, is when two metals bond together, or stick to each other. Galling is caused by a rough surface end along with the natural way that like materials bond together. Adhesive wear happens because metals aren't really smooth despite their appearance to the human eye. At the microscopic level, there are tons of ridges and valleys that jut out at sharpened angles. As the tool comes in contact with the part it is shaping, tiny particles from the work material stick to those imperfections on the tool's surface. These eventually build up to where we can see them and quickly the tool is rendered unusable, or at least can't perform the job up to standards.
Abrasive wear is normally when particles in the work material bang into or go through the surface of the tool. The particles are known as carbides and they'll scratch the tool up, cause craters and otherwise deform the surface of the tool over time. The carbides are harder than the metallic of the tool and so "win out" over the tool's surface.
Coating systems minimize both abrasive wear and adhesive put on. In both cases, the tool coating makes the tool's surface much harder and therefore less penetrable by other metals.
Tool coatings also typically have less friction than the hardened steel of a tool. Less friction equals less wear on the tool as well. Remember what we stated about abrasive put on eating away at scratches or imperfections at the microscopic level? Well, usually a thin-film coating doesn't cover up those imperfections. So tools are first covered in a "mirror-finish" to simple everything out first, and then the thin-film difficult coating is applied to the tool - leaving it ultra strong and very resistant to all forms of wear.
Of course, different coatings are used for different applications. Just for example there is titanium carbide (TiC) or titanium nitride (TiN). There is TiAIN - X, Super-R Coating, Zirconium Nitride Coating (ZrN), and much more types. They are all applied in different ways and they all have different characteristics. The best one to use for a tool all depends on what sort of material you're grinding or shaping.
In summation, friction is bad and causes wear and tear on expensive machine cutting tools. Coating systems can greatly reduce the cost and degradation of those tools.