Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST
Duplex coating system of the Fraunhofer IST at the site Dortmund.
Dortmund site
Particularly in the field of hot forming, such as the die-forging of steel or for die-casting of light metals, high demands are placed on the surfaces and edge zones of the respective tools. These are effectively protected by hard coatings and diffusion treatments which remain resistant and chemically inert at very high application temperatures and extreme alternating thermal stresses with superimposed mechanical loading.
Branch office of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST at DOC Dortmunder OberflächenCentrum GmbH
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe with its on-site partners Fraunhofer IST and Fraunhofer IWS develops industry-ready solutions in the field of surface engineering for flat steel products at DOC. Among other things, DOC has a pilot coating line to apply new surface technologies to steel bands.
Thermally resistant wear protection films for tools
At the Dortmund location, the Fraunhofer IST offers coatings and diffusion treatments for the application of wear-resistant and temperature-resistant surfaces. For this purpose, we have developed special PECVD coatings, some of which are performed by means of the duplex plasma process. This combination of plasma diffusion treatment, for example plasma nitriding, with a continuous subsequent plasma coating process offers diverse technological advantages. The technology allows the production of tool surfaces, e. g. for the die-forging of steel, which can withstand the typical forming temperatures of over 1000 °C, whilst at the same time protection against wear caused by abrasion and adhesions can be offered. Further typical applications of hot forming include forms and dies for aluminum die casting or matrices for the extrusion of light metals made from hot-work steel: In addition to the required wear resistance and stability at the high application temperatures, the erosive effect of the hot or molten aluminum on the steel surface must be prevented. This is achieved very effectively by means of the boron-containing multilayer coating systems (Ti-B-N) which have been developed.
Nitrided reference tool showing wear pattern on the mandrels of the test tool after 3000 forming operations at 1150 °C (left), test tool with optimized boron-containing multilayer coating system Ti-B-N with significantly reduced wear pattern on the mandrels of the test tool after 3000 forming operations at 1150 °C (right).
”As a highly productive process for parts made from light metal or high-strength components made from steel, hot forming benefits from our optimized wear-protection solutions.”
Dipl.-Ing. Hanno Paschke / Team Manager
Site Dortmund
Dortmunder Oberflächencentrum DOC
Eberhardstraße 12
44145 Dortmund
Phone +49 231 844-5453