Oerlikon: PVD coating for drilling in steel and cast iron
With Balinit Optura, Oerlikon Balzers presents a new high-performance PVD coating for drilling in steel and cast iron. It increases productivity, tool life and process reliability in drilling processes.
In the metalworking industry, drilling is one of the most critical and often final machining steps. A stable manufacturing process - with long tool life, high reliability, consistent performance and precise drilling - is crucial for maximum productivity and cost efficiency. Balinit Optura meets these requirements thanks to an optimized multi-layer coating structure with high wear resistance. The result is longer tool life, higher performance and lower manufacturing costs. In comparative tests with a Tier 1 automotive supplier, the new PVD coating achieved an average 89% longer tool life compared to proven predecessor coatings. In individual applications, reconditioned drills coated with Balinit Optura even achieved a longer tool life than new tools with a complex double coating. This leads to lower tool consumption, fewer regrinding cycles and a significant increase in performance - with high drilling quality and reduced overall costs.
Balinit Optura for high demands in metalworking
Balinit Optura proved to be more reliable than market-leading coatings - across the entire spectrum from low-alloy, heat-treatable and case-hardening steels to various types of cast iron. Whether under moderate conditions or in high performance applications: The coating has been developed to meet the economic and environmental challenges of today's metalworking. The most important advantages are very high wear resistance for higher productivity and lower costs per component, high process reliability, even with demanding ferrous alloys and applications such as deep drilling, uniform wear for consistently high bore quality and stable performance even after several recoating cycles, which reduces costs and protects the environment.
50 % increase in performance compared to other coatings
"In extensive tests with tool manufacturers and end users worldwide, Balinit Optura has achieved excellent results," says Dr. Ivan Iovkov, Global Product Manager Cutting Tools at Oerlikon. "With an average performance increase of over 50 % compared to predecessor and competitor coatings, Balinit Optura has proven itself under real production conditions in a wide range of steel and cast iron materials and machining scenarios. The innovative coating structure enables longer service lives and up to 33% lower production costs. The coating is available in most countries where Oerlikon works closely with the industry."