The main materials used for high hardness workpieces include: diamond, tungsten steel, high-speed steel and carbide. The high hardness properties of these materials allow them to excel in applications that require a high degree of wear resistance and durability, such as precision engineering, mould making and cutting tools.
The main purpose of PVD coatings is to protect the cutting edge of a tool in two ways: firstly, as a protective layer against abrasive wear and minor bonding wear; and secondly, to reduce the tool temperature by reducing the friction between the tool and the workpiece material, in particular between the cutting and the front face.
PVD coatings are suitable for the coating of solid carbide and HSS tools, especially in shops where carbide drills, milling cutters, taps and welding tools are used, etc. PVD coatings are applied at temperatures lower than the tempering temperatures of HSS and therefore do not impair their hardness and dimensional accuracy. The coated tools do not require further heat treatment and the coating thickness is only a few microns, which maintains the original accuracy, and the whole process is clean and contamination-free.