Hannover, 19 September 2011 – At EMO, the world's most influential metalworking trade show, Oerlikon Balzers will introduce two innovations. Under the heading Advanced Surface Technology, the company is showcasing its new INGENIA coating system with S3p™ technology and the new, universal BALINIT® PERTURA coating for drills.
“In the past years, we systematically invested in research and development,” noted Oerlikon Balzers CEO Dr. Hans Brändle. “The results of this work are now on the table, and we are proud to have the opportunity of presenting two Balzers innovations at EMO today. For our customers, INGENIA and S3p™ open up totally new dimensions in coating technology.”
INGENIA: faster, more precise, and more flexible coating
The INGENIA coating system developed by Oerlikon Balzers redefines the benchmark in physical vapour deposition (PVD) coating technology: Shorter batch times, extremely precise across-the-batch coating thicknesses as well as amazing flexibility with respect to applicable coatings, technologies, and lot sizes are among the system's key capabilities. With optimised heating and cooling cycles, INGENIA perceptibly shortens the duration of coating processes, enabling batch times of about three hours. In small and larger batches, the compact system can handle as many as eight different processes per day. The spectrum covers the entire Oerlikon Balzers coating portfolio as well as proprietary coatings developed by the customer. Despite this flexibility, INGENIA stands out with a hitherto unattained coating thickness accuracy of ±5 percent across the entire batch. This makes the system particularly suitable for coating precision and micro tools as well as components. It is also an ideal resource for research and development projects and thanks to its modular design can be upgraded with additional technologies at any time.
The new S3p™ technology: enabling cost-effective HiPIMS
INGENIA features the new Oerlikon Balzers S3p™ (Scalable Pulsed Power Plasma) technology, an advanced solution based on High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS). This scalable technology creates plasmas with high concentrations of ionised atoms as coating constituents. The result: extremely smooth and dense coatings with optimised characteristics for a wide range of applications. It enables the deployment of a diversified spectrum of coating materials while assuring unprecedented homogeneity with respect to coating thickness distribution. S3p™ paves the way for the cost-effective, universal use of the HiPIMS technology in production as well as in research and development.
One single coating for all drilling applications: BALINIT® PERTURA
BALINIT® PERTURA was developed as a multifunctional solution for all highperformance carbide drills. As a next-generation refinement of the existing specialpurpose BALINIT® FUTURA and HELICA coatings for drills, its key asset is its nanostructure: it boosts productivity when machining demanding materials and enhances process reliability under difficult circumstances. The new coating stands out mainly with respect to its design, composition, and smoothness. The optimised configuration of the nanolayer structure creates an ideal balance between residual stress, hardness, and fracture toughness. Abrasion resistance is perceptibly increased and crack propagation is suppressed. Additionally, high hot hardness significantly improves wear protection and dramatically extends tool service lives in many different drilling applications. Because it reduces susceptibility to sticking and facilitates the evacuation of chips even in deep holes, the very smooth surface of the coating is ideal for machining challenging materials. BALINIT® PERTURA delivers as-new performance even on reconditioned drills.
To present these innovations, we fully leveraged our research and development resources,” said Helmut Rudigier, Chief Technology Officer at Oerlikon Balzers. “INGENIA, our S3p™ technology, and BALINIT® PERTURA address the growing demand in our customer community for more flexibility, greater productivity, and faster turnaround times. For our users, these trailblazing technologies also open up unprecedented prospects for proprietary developments.”
