Safe, high-performance coatings for food contact
Ionbond has United States FDA food contact (TOR) approvals for Ionbond™ coatings, obtained after a strict evaluation for biocompatibility, migration, wear and dissolution in various environments.
The Ionbond™ food-contact coatings can be deposited by various technologies at temperatures ranging from 100°C to 950°C, depending on coating choice and substrate temperature resistance. The coatings are recommended because of their outstanding mechanical and tribological properties:
- High abrasion resistance that reduces wear
- Anti-sticking properties that help prevent pastas, dough, candy and other food products from sticking to the tools and machine components during processing
- Dry lubrication properties for systems where use of oil is not allowed, where otherwise stainless steel would be running against stainless steel – for instance in liquid pumps for beer and milk, transportation, etc.
The coating thickness can be adapted from 1 to 10 micrometer to best suit each application, for various substrate materials including a broad range of steels.
Among the broad range of Ionbond™ coatings, the following coatings offer safe and outstanding performance for food-contact applications:
Ionbond™ 01 TiN, probably the best known PVD/CVD coating, golden color, high hardness and high abrasion resistance, it remains a great value specially for food cutting tools.
Ionbond™ 30 CrN, silver/metallic color coating with high ductility and high hardness; It has a great resistance to deformation without cracking making it suitable for food contact components and flexible cutting blades.
Ionbond™ 36 MeDLC (CrWCC), is a deep black colour coating combining decorative and functional properties.
Ionbond™ 40 MeDLC (WCC), grey or black color gradient coating with highest capacity for plastic deformation.
Ionbond™ 41 DLC, black color multilayer coating, which combines high deformability with high wear resistance.
Ionbond™ 42 DLC, black color multilayer coating, low friction coefficient, high scratch resistance and load carrying capacity makes this multilayer DLC suitable for food contact applications under high mechanical pressure to avoid food surface-sticking even without lubrication.
Ionbond™ 43 ADLC, exhibits black color, smooth surface, with high hardness and high deformation capacity without cracking, it makes it especially suitable for anti-sticking applications even without lubrication as for example flexible cutting blades and food contact components.
Ionbond™ 60 ZrN, lighter gold, high abrasion and chemical resistance ideal for food cutting, an alternative to TiN
Ionbond™ 61 ZrCN, a nice copper colour coating, which can be used in machine components for cosmetic purposes as well as in food cutting due its high abrasion resistance.
Coating |
Chemistry |
Structure |
FDA-TOR |
Thickness [µm] |
Friction Coefficient |
Microhardness [HV] |
Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ionbond™ 01 |
TiN |
monolayer |
2020-003 |
1 - 10 |
0.5 |
2500 - 3100 |
Gold |
Ionbond™ 30 |
CrN |
monolayer |
2020-004 |
1 - 10 |
0.55 |
2100 - 3000 |
Silver/Metallic |
Ionbond™ 36 |
CrWCC |
gradient |
2023-001 |
1 - 8 |
0.2 |
800 - 1600³ |
Deep black |
Ionbond™ 40 |
MeDLC |
gradient |
2021-004 |
1 - 10 |
0.2 |
1000 - 1800 |
Grey or Black |
Ionbond™ 41 |
DLC |
multilayer |
2021-001¹ |
1 - 10 |
0.1 |
2000 - 2800 |
Black |
Ionbond™ 42 |
DLC |
multilayer |
2021-001² |
1 - 10 |
0.1 |
2100 - 3000 |
Black |
Ionbond™ 43 |
ADLC |
multilayer |
2021-001 |
1 - 5 |
0.1 |
2000 - 4000 |
Black |
Ionbond™ 60 |
ZrN |
monolayer |
2022-001 |
1 - 10 |
0.55 |
2200 - 2900 |
light Gold |
Ionbond™ 61 |
ZrCN |
gradient |
2022-001 |
1 - 5 |
0.4 to 0.6 |
2500 - 3500 |
copper |