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

(1) Combined with TOR 2021-004
(2) Combined with TOR 2020-004
(3) Depending on thickness and if more decorative or functional
The values given are approximations and may vary depending on the application, environmental factors and test protocols.