PVD Coating of Dies Using Superhard Nano-layered Composite Coatings

50389-98-I PVD Coating of Dies Using Superhard Nano-layered Composite Coatings--Hard Coating, Inc., 510 Dresden Street, Evansville, IN 47710-2402; (812) 422-2356 Mr. Bobby Oglesby, Principal Investigator Mr. Bobby Oglesby, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82590 Amount: $75,000 In 1997 the aluminum die casting industry spent in excess of $200,000,000 for replacement tooling. This cost, plus attendant costs associated with equipment downtime and lost production to replace failed die components, is excessive and can be reduced significantly by pretreatment of the components with physical vapor desposition (PVD) coatings. Thin film coatings have been used in single layers to improve the durability of tool steel used in die-castings dies. Multi-layer coatings are expected to be a major improvement and coatings applied with a nano-layered approach should improve life significantly. Phase I will be the first step to attempt to optimize an nano-layered film system and then obtain preliminary data for comparison with conventionally coated physical/chemical vapor deposition (PCVD) single layer coated dies. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: If successful, this project will lead to the development of a coating system or technique that would extend the lifetime of these die casting components and improve the competitive position of USA castings in the global marketplace._