Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 8

Contact: CHRIS NEELY [email protected] 11 SOLUTION The coating performs best when it is applied to either a pre-hardened or case hardened tool steel with a hardness of at least 40Rc. The harder the base material, the better the coating, and tooling, holds up without movement or premature wear. Ideal tools steels for this application are P-20 and H-13. The thin dense chrome coating, only 0.0001-0.0003” thick, increased the surface hardness of the tooling to 78Rc, and reduced the coefficient of friction up to 50%. This meant reduced wear and easier cleaning of the tooling. And, the coating is strippable. When it was determined that the coating was beginning to wear thin (usually after giving 3-4 times the normal wear life), the parts were returned to the coating company and stripped and recoated. This eliminated the need for costly repairs and downtime. Significant savings estimated at $180,000 per rebuild have been realized! CONCLUSION Best of all, coating and recoating is also performed in a short period of time. This allows, with proper planning, an opportunity for the foundry and vendor to work together to prevent costly downtime. All work is scheduled during planned shutdowns, avoiding any crashes or times when the lines cannot run. There are many different types of coating that can be used on core and mold boxes, however, very few can stand up to the day- in, day- out wear and tear that foundry boxes endure. This coating that can be stripped and recoated before any damage is done to the tooling base material, which prevents costly downtime and greatly reduces repair costs. If you are using a coating, ensure that it can be stripped, has the hardness (78Rc) and has a friction reduction to provide additional life to your tooling.