ICE PVD coating prolongs tool life at temperature

ICE coating is a PVD applied hard coating designed to increase tool life in high temperature applications. This resilient coating has a number of unique properties that can provide that extra edge in today’s competitive manufacturing world. ICE coating is a Cr based coating that provides the heat resistance of TiAlN based coatings but with a unique ability to resist material adhesion. In many applications, this resistance to material build up can dramatically improve tool life. Form tapping is a great example of this. Test results in form tapping 1016 mild steel demonstrated an increase of 3 times the tool life versus a standard TiN coated tap. Form tapping involves the displacement of material in forming threads which generates considerable heat and can lead to material adhesion. ICE coating can withstand cutting tempertures up to 1832º F (1000º C) some 700º F higher than TiN coating while resisting material smearing. Materials that perform well in ICE coating applications have gummy properties such as mild steel, copper and brass. However, ICE coating is also extremely hard and performs well in hardened steel applications as well as abrasive materials such as cast iron that tend to wear down cutting edges. ICE coating is a mono-layer coating with a surface hardness exceeding 3500 Hv which is harder than most conventional TiAlN based coatings. ICE coating is also used in both aerospace and medical industries in titanium applications where the affinity of Ti based coatings applied to cutting tools is a detriment. Since ICE coating is a Cr based coating; it performs well in 6Al4V and other titanium materials in milling, drilling and form tapping.