Ionbond’s technological developments in cutting tool coatings in the USA
We’ve got several interesting pieces of news for cutting tool manufacturers in North and Latin America! With new technology in the Ionbond coating center in Duncan (South Carolina), it will be the second USA coating center after Madison Heights (Michigan) to offer the recently developed universal AuroraX™ Plus coating. In addition, both coating centers offer many of the other Ionbond Premium Plus PVD coatings, such as Tetrabond™ Plus, Hardcut™ Plus, Crosscut™ Plus and Maximizer™ Plus. Finally our coating center in Cleveland (Ohio) is expanding capacity with the installation of state-of-the-art CVD technology by the end of 2024.
Expanding the capacity for AuroraX™ Plus in North America
At Madison Heights and Duncan, coatings for cutting tools are an important specialization. The centers coat hundreds of thousands of round-shank tools and gear-cutting tools annually.
AuroraX™ Plus is Ionbond’s premium coating for versatile machining performance in both wet and dry conditions. It offers proven improved tool lifetime, especially for machining of difficult-to-cut materials. These materials are what enables many important innovations, and are increasingly desired for advanced component design in various industrial sectors.
The coating has an optimized stress profile, exhibits high hardness and toughness as well as outstanding oxidation resistance, low thermal conductivity and improved anti-stick characteristics. This allows it to withstand the extremely demanding cutting conditions during hard material machining, including interrupted machining, while enabling efficient chip evacuation. The exceptional abrasion and erosion wear resistance and high hot-hardness of AuroraX™ Plus makes it suitable at cutting temperatures above 1100°C.
This is a game-changing coating for the cutting tool industry
“We are proud to have implemented our AuroraX™ Plus coating in Madison Heights already, and to address the increasing demand by expanding that capability to Duncan. Now we can offer it to more of our most demanding clients.”
Dr. Kalpak Shaha
Global Segment Manager Cutting Tools
Supporting the demand for machining non-ferrous materials
Ionbond is also investing in increased capacity for coatings for non-ferrous materials. There is a wide spectrum of these materials, and some are increasingly important for many markets. Ionbond’s Tetrabond™ Plus is an ultrahard ta-C (tetrahedral carbon) coating with an extremely smooth surface and an extremely low affinity towards non-ferrous materials. Jim South, Sales Manager for cutting tools, says: “We are very happy to offer this widely applicable coating in higher capacity from our USA coating plants, to support the growing demand.”
Non-ferrous materials are extensively used in manufacturing applications in multiple industrial sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, etc. One of the main issues of machining most non-ferrous metals is thermal softening, which causes the material to stick to the cutting edge. This increases tool wear and deteriorates performance.
To boost tool performance and lifetime, Ionbond offers this coating for its high hardness, low coefficient of friction, and strong adhesion, plus a high non-stick factor. The thin and ultra smooth coating maintains the sharpness of the cutting edge, which is critical for machining non-ferrous materials. Tetrabond™ Plus can also be applied to HSS, cemented carbide and brazed tools, regardless of geometry, and supports tool resharpening and recoating. It is available in a rainbow version and a general version. A thick version can also be used as alternative to CVD diamond coatings for machining composite materials.
Expanding CVD capability in Cleveland
Ionbond Cleveland serves all of North and Latin America with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coatings for cutting, turning and milling tools for extreme-load machining of steel and cast iron. These thick coatings have a thermo-dynamically stable structure, optimum stress, extremely high thermal stability, high toughness and extraordinary wear resistance, making them ideal for high-volume machining. Ionbond’s Al2O3-based coatings have well-defined and specifically selected growth of α-Al2O3 crystal orientations, giving them exceptional hot-hardness and very low thermal conductivity. This significantly increases tool lifetime during turning and milling applications.
Pranav Deshpande, General Manager for Ionbond US, says: “We’re expanding our CVD capability at Cleveland with a state-of-the art technology, to be installed late 2024. This new addition has us all feeling very enthusiastic, allowing us to offer our premium CVD coatings to customers with demanding requirements. This coating technology is not commonly available in the Americas, so we are proud to have the capacity to serve customers from all over the region.”
Staying ready for the future
These ongoing investments reflect Ionbond’s strategy to be ready for the increased technical requirements from our customers. The shift to lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys, high-strength steels, non-ferrous materials and advanced materials with high hardness is continuing. So is the growing popularity of dry machining, which is a more sustainable manufacturing technology that requires no lubricants.
The increased availability of our AuroraX™ Plus coating is an important way we support our customers in these trends, since it is tested for its high thermal stability, making it a good choice for both wet and dry machining applications. The same is true for our expanding capacity for Tetrabond™ Plus, keeping up with the rise of non-ferrous materials, such as aluminum alloys, carbon-reinforced plastics and copper alloys – important materials for the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
See you at IMTS?
As in the past 14 years, we will of course be attending IMTS. We’ll be there from 9-14 September, ready to discuss these exciting developments and what we can do for your specific applications. Do drop by our booth 432283! We’d love to see you.
Questions?
Discuss your challenges with Kalpak Shaha
Kalpak Shaha, Global Segment Manager Cutting Tools, will be happy to help you.
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Dr. Kalpak Shaha
Global Segment Manager Cutting Tools
Dr. Kalpak Shaha
Global Segment Manager Cutting Tools
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