Machine tools Tool manufacturers are permanently challenged
A about 1 million tonnes of steel and some 200 million tonnes of plastics are produced and processed every year. Most of this raw material is converted into products using cutting and forming tools. These tools are continually having to meet new and more demanding requirements:
- precision - as working speeds and loads increase, manufacturing tolerances are becoming tighter and thinner walled parts must be faultlessly produced
- micro-machining techniques are being deployed to meet the demand for higher precision
- complete finishing on a single machine
- multi-functional tools for flexible machining processes
- dry machining and minimal lubrication to reduce costs, cleaning requirements for workpieces and machines and the environmental impact
- improved workpiece quality to reduce rejects and the need for finishing work / reworking
- the use of lighter materials to save weight and thereby reduce power requirements, energy consumption and emissions
Without PVD coating, these requirements could not be met. The ongoing evolution of coating materials is helping industries keep pace with changing demands.
With BALINIT®, the performance limits of tools for cutting, punching und forming, for die casting metals and for processing plastics can be continually extended.
A further challenge in toolmaking is to shorten the manufacturing time for moulds. This is where the use of BALINIT-coated cutting tools offers a decisive advantage: moulds and diesinking electrodes can be produced significantly faster and at lower cost.