The new millennium celebrates 25 years in PVD coating as well as 40 years in CVD coating.In such a relatively short time span high vacuum coatings developed to a breathtaking speed.Their use started in cutting tools applications, but quickly extended to molds and dies for plastics molding, blanking and forming, as well as Aluminium and Zinc die-casting.Recently a new and even faster growing application appeared on the market: coating of high precision components intended for the most severe applications, characterised by high mechanical loads and restrictions in the use of lubricants.The most important example of such applications is the coating of several components of the newest diesel injection systems, known as 'common rail".Such systems are very well known world-wide due to their characteristics of high performances and very low polluting emissions, which made it possible to certify them in accordance to the restrictive E3 and E4 antipollution regulations. From the old and easy to produce TiN coatings, PVD technology moved to more and more high performance and sophisticated coatings such as bimetallic and multilayer ones.The most innovative coatings and related applications are discussed in this paper such as TiAlN for high speed cutting and hard machining, TiAlN+ WC/C for dry drilling, tapping and gear cutting, polycrystalline diamond for graphite and Al-Si alloys machining, as well as carbon based coatings for precision components.Also stripping processes are taken into consideration in this paper due to their importance in relation with recoating of tools, the state of the art technology used to keep the high performances of coated tools all along their life.A short mention is made to the level of R&D investments necessary to keep the pace in such fast changing technologies.
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