Detailed Product Description:

Titanium Nitride (TiN) is probably the most common Physical Vapor Deposition (“PVD”) hard coating because of its versatility and long history of success.   TiN has an excellent combination of performance properties, attractive appearance, and safety.  It’s so safe it meets FDA requirements for surgical tools and implants as well as food contact applications.

Here is a coating that won’t chip, peel, or flake.  It has a surface micro-hardness of 2,300 Vickers (equivalent to about 85 Rockwell C) which is harder than tungsten carbide.  It has the beautiful appearance of bright polished gold.  It is self-lubricating/non-stick, wear resistant and chemical and corrosion resistant—you can store it in saltwater.  Depending upon mating surfaces, TiN has a coefficient of friction ranging from 0.05 up to 0.90.

Titanium Nitride is applied in a vacuum in a plasma field and forms a metallurgical bond with the substrate.  Its film thickness can range from a quarter micron up to 12 microns.  Most applications use about 5 microns.  Inherent in the process is coating thickness uniformity.  No buildup occurs in corners yet the coating throws well into complex geometric features.

Key Features/Benefits:

Resistant to nearly all chemicals (acids, bases, solvents, saltwater, etc.)

Temperature resistant—begins to oxidize at 600ºC 

Non-stick/non-galling surface—perfect for titanium fasteners

Non-toxic—FDA approved for medical/surgical devices, implants, stents.  USDA approved for food contact.

Specifications:

Surface Micro-Hardness:                                    2,300 Vickers (equivalent to 85Rc)

Thermal Stability:                                                 1,050ºF

Melting Point:                                                       2,930ºC

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion:                    9.4 ppm/ºC  (9.4 microinches/inch/ºC)

Thermal Conductivity:                                        0.046 Calories/second-cm-ºC

Density:                                                                 5.22 grams/cm3

Crystalline Structure:                                           Face centered cubic

Modulus of Elasticity:                                         600 GigaPascals

Coating Thickness:                                              5 microns typical (range from 0.25 up to 12 microns)

Deposition Temperature:                                    can range from 200ºC up to 400ºC

Electrical Resistivity:                                           25 micro-Ohm-cm

Substrate Selection:

PVD coatings are applied to many different materials.  Materials coated include most metals, ceramics, and some plastics.  Substrates must be compatible with a high vacuum environment and must be able to withstand the deposition temperatures of the process. 

The most common materials successfully coated with TiN are the tool steels, stainless steel, mild steel, titanium alloys, carbides, Inconel, Hastelloy, the copper alloys and the aluminum alloys.

Avoid metals containing significant amounts of Cadmium (Cd), Tin (Sn) or Lead (Pb) and materials that can outgas in the vacuum chamber. Assemblies and press fit parts can also create an out-gassing situation. 

Substrate Preparation:

Proper adhesion of the coating requires a pristine surface of the part.  The surface must be free of paint, glue, rust, oxidation, etc.  Grit blasting after heat treating and before finish grinding has been found the best approach.  Areas that are not important for coating still must not have a contaminant on the surface that could outgas, as this material will migrate throughout the chamber and contaminate all of the coating.

We clean the parts immediately before coating them.  They should be ready for coating, and cleaned of foreign material, then coated with a light rust-preventive oil for shipment to us.  Parts that do not require oil may be wrapped in a suitable material to prevent contamination and/or prevent oxide buildup.

Coating Services:

Please contact our Technical Support department via phone or e-mail to discuss your needs and to obtain a quotation. 

Pricing is based on minimum lot charge.  Thus piece part cost is dependent upon size and quantity per lot.