Somta Tools’ new PVD coating plant and polishing and honing machine delivering benefits to more applications than just their own tooling

Jan 25, 2024

Life span and speeds and feeds of gear cutting tools, piercing punches, moulds, dies, dental inserts, broaching blades and inserts will all benefit from the technology that is associated with Somta Tools’ second coating plant that has now been commissioned.

Somta Tools have invested in a USA-designed and manufactured PerformCoat PfC540 PVD coating machine. The machine has been developed in conjunction with OSG Japan and it will now allow Somta Tools to implement coating layers with adjustable properties for toughness, hot hardness, wear resistance, oxidation resistance and colour. These include mono, multi, nano and gradient coating structure

Somta Tools have invested in a USA-designed and manufactured PerformCoat PfC540 PVD coating machine. The machine has been developed in conjunction with OSG Japan and it will now allow Somta Tools to implement coating layers with adjustable properties for toughness, hot hardness, wear resistance, oxidation resistance and colour. These include mono, multi, nano and gradient coating structure.

What is PVD coating?PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition. It is a process carried out under high vacuum and, in most cases, at temperatures between 150 and 500°C.

How does the PVD process work?In the PVD process the high purity, solid coating material (metals such as titanium, chromium and aluminium) is either evaporated by heat or by bombardment with ions (sputtering). At the same time a reactive gas (e.g. nitrogen or a gas containing carbon) is added. It then forms a compound with the metal vapour that is deposited on the tools or components, as a thin, highly adherent coating. A uniform coating thickness is obtained by rotating the parts at a constant speed over several axes.

The high-performance and innovative thin film coating technology will optimise tooling for machining applications of turning, deep-hole drilling, tapping, hard milling, hobbing and shaping of aluminium components (soft and hard with up to 12% Si) and machining of titanium and stainless steel. In addition to coating their own tooling, Somta Tools coats gear cutting tools, piercing punches, moulds, dies, dental inserts, broaching blades and inserts of all different sizes for customers. Coating these items can improve their life span by 200% to 300% and when used in certain applications, can increase speeds and feeds by as much as 50%

Coating properties such as hardness, structure, chemical and temperature resistance and adhesion can be precisely controlled. PVD processes include arc evaporation, sputtering, ion plating and enhanced sputtering.

Benefits of PVD coating are that it only has a thickness of 0.003mm, it is harder than steel, it has ceramic properties and it follows the surface structure exactly.

"Our new machine was installed and commissioned in January 2020 with the assistance of PerformCoat to make sure that everything went smoothly. Some of these coatings that we are now capable of offering were previously not available in South Africa, with customers having to source them internationally, so Somta Tools is delighted to now offer these options locally. We are also inspired and delighted by the different colours we can now achieve with this new coating machine," said Allan Conolly, Managing Director of Somta Tools.

The PerformCoat PfC540 PVD coating machine being installed

"This high-performance and innovative thin film coating technology will optimise tooling for machining applications of turning, deep-hole drilling, tapping, hard milling, hobbing and shaping of aluminium components (soft and hard with up to 12% Si) and machining of titanium and stainless steel," explained Conolly.

"In addition to coating our own tooling, Somta Tools coats gear cutting tools, piercing punches, moulds, dies, dental inserts, broaching blades and inserts of all different sizes for customers. Coating these items can improve their life span by 200% to 300% and when used in certain applications, can increase speeds and feeds by as much as 50%. Somta Tools can coat any component up to 600mm by 600mm by 650mm (WxDxH)."

At the same time, Somta Tools commissioned their PerformDrag PfD550 polishing and honing machine. Referred to as drag finishing, this process increases the tool life and component finish quality by up to 80%

"Gear cutting tools especially are more expensive than common cutting tools therefore cost savings on them are essential. Coating your gear cutter in the same way you do other cutting tools reduces wear by preventing direct contact of chips with the tool, reducing build up along the cutting edge and avoiding welding of chips to the tool."

"The high hardness of a coating prevents abrasive wear on the tool, and the lower coefficient of friction reduces the heat and wear generated during cutting operations. Thermal stress on the tool is reduced due to the low thermal conductivity of coatings, which allows heat to be retained in the chip."

"At the same time, we commissioned our PerformDrag PfD550 polishing and honing machine. Referred to as drag finishing, this process increases the tool life and component finish quality by up to 80%."

Machine Tools Africa 2020"We are exhibiting at Machine Tools Africa 2020 where we will be able to explain the benefits to our customers. Additionally, we are going to introduce new tooling at the exhibition. This will include a HSS drill ranges, a solid carbide drill range, a VariCut range and a combo tap range. All of these tools will be coated in a rainbow coating to demonstrate the versatility and benefits of our high-performance coatings."

For further details contact Somta Tools on TEL: 011 390 8700 or visit www.somta.co.za