Eliminate galling & die polishing with PVD coatings.
Sick and tired of polishing dies after 300–400 hits? Galling and die polishing will be a thing of the past with our high-performance PVD coatings. The lubricity, hardness and abrasion resistance of these coatings reduce friction between the sheet metal and tool — for more press up-time and better part quality.
Galling and pick-up on an uncoated forming die.
Friction, galling, and endless polishing.
A high-lubricity PVD coating drops the coefficient of friction between the sheet metal and the tool. Once friction is under control, everything downstream gets easier: less galling, better lubricant behavior, cleaner formed geometry, and dramatically less die polishing.
In addition to our coating service, we also offer polishing and surface prep services to ensure that all contaminants that could adversely affect coating adhesion are removed. PVD coatings will not adhere to oxides or EDM recast, so we do hand polishing, mass finishing, and tumbling — often at no extra cost — to make sure the job is done right the first time.
What metal-forming customers see once dies come back coated.
6–10× longer life
Coated form tools typically last 6–10× longer than uncoated tools on the same job.
Reduced galling
Better lubricity means less material sticking to the die, less die polishing, and less rework between runs.
Less friction, better forms
Lower friction produces better formed geometry, higher-quality parts, and reduced need for lubricant.
More up-time
Longer runs and less rework — all of which translates directly into more parts and more profit.
CrN for stainless. Alpha or TiCN for general forming.
Our best coating for tough metal-forming applications is CrN — excellent lubricity, very tough, and good wear resistance. If you have stainless steel applications where galling is an issue, CrN is your solution. Alpha and TiCN are strong all-purpose coatings that provide 2–4× the life of TiN, and TiN itself provides 2–8× life over uncoated tools.
CrN — anti-galling & stainless
Excellent lubricity for tough forming and stainless work. The go-to coating when metal is sticking to the die.
Learn about CrNAlpha — general forming
Our hardest all-purpose coating — 2–4× the life of TiN in a wide range of forming applications.
Learn about AlphaTiCN — hard wear
~80% harder than TiN. A strong choice for demanding form tools where abrasive wear is the failure mode.
Learn about TiCNWhat Alpha did for one metal-forming customer.
Our operators are not very vigilant at removing the abrasive laser dust and slag, but still the coating holds up. Some blocks you Alpha-coated for me over a year ago are still looking great. Never picks up any base metal and even with minimal lubricant, we can wipe 3/8″ thick, grade 80, hot rolled into a tight channel. We used to polish a few times a run. Now, with the Alpha coating, we have never had to polish, we use less lubricant, and have a better looking product. I will continue to use Alpha over any of the competitor's coatings due to the durability, price, and your turnaround.
You're not making money polishing dies.
Send us the die, the material you're forming, and the finish you need — we'll recommend the right coating and often improve the finish before it goes into the chamber. Response within one business day.