Technology is growing, so look for competitive coating options

The making of punches, forming tools as well as dies and other tools is usually described as a method of brute force. This allows an object to be cut, pierced, shaped, or any other form. These are often described as "chipless" machining techniques. The buyers of today's tool/die as well as machine operators must know more about the characteristics of the raw steel used to make the blank. They must be aware of the interplay between the entire process: design of the tooling and manufacturing raw materials, tooling & heat treating the coating's properties, the material that is machinable, cycles, cycle times required, allowable machine downtime, and the process of heating and processing for tooling.

Punches and Dies Coating Advantages

Based on the needs of your project, ACS can offer a range of PVD coatings that add value and reduce costs for punches, dies and the tools for forming. The combination of low friction coefficients and high film hardness gives the desired properties of:

less friction in sliding

Increased resistance to abrasive wear

reduced punch & die retraction forces

Tougher and harder surface.

upgraded tablet tablet release by tablet punches

Reduced galling, wear on adhesive, and material pick-up

Eliminating reaction in materials due to chemical inertness

These enhancements must be achieved with the same critical dimensions, tolerances and punches that both dies and form instruments need when using them. This is why PVD is so useful in providing functional surfaces.

GROW LONGER OVER YOUR LIFE ESPAN OF DIES and PUNCHES. TOOLS

If coated with PVD thin-film coatings punches, dies and tool forming equipment will have a significantly longer lifespan. The Platit arc-deposition systems can be controlled from temperatures of 160oC and 490oC. These temperatures are appropriate for many oil, water, and air-hardening steels such as D2, S1 and D3, as well as O1 and M2 and D2, T1, and M4420SS.

PVD VS CVD COATING

PVD is preferable to CVD in the coatings of punches, dies, and forming tools because of the lower temperatures that PVD uses during treatment to preserve the hardness of the heat-treated material and austenitizing temperatures of the forming tool substrate materials.

TIGHTER TOLERANCE

PVD can create coating thicknesses ranging from 0.00004" up to 0.00020" This means that parts can be machined to their final dimensions before coating. This permits close tolerance die or punch applications to have the necessary clearances.

INCREASE WEAR RESISTANCE

"Wear" can be defined as a way to quantify the effects of abrasion as well as corrosion in contact with other materials like grit or tools. A punch, die or forming tool's resistance against breaking, cracking or chipping can be described as "toughness". The materials used to make a punch will have characteristic wear and toughness ratings. They are offered in the following types:

Low wear resistance and high toughness

BALANCED wear resistance and toughness

Low wear resistance and high wear resistance. durability

The particular forming process will determine which material to choose. So, wear resistance could be affected by the hardness of the tool itself and any coating that is added.