Aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN) is one of the best tool coating solutions on the market today. Including chromium in coating compounds allows much higher performance to be achieved under certain conditions than when titanium-based coatings are used. Samputensili–the Bologna company which supplies innovative machines, tools, services, and integrated systems for the gear-cutting industry all over the world–now has the new Sunite(r) Alcrona coating in its range. This aluminum and chromium-based coating ensures that the performance, strength, and resistance of tools are all increased. This is estimated to extend tool life by up to 50 percent as a result of considerably increased temperature resistance. Sunite(r) Alcrona protects the substrate from oxidation at high temperatures, thus reducing negative interactions between tool and workpiece.
Sunite(r) (Samputensili Nitruro di Titanio = titanium nitride from Samputensili) Alcrona is an innovative solution for automotive companies, a sector characterized by high production volumes and ever shorter cycle times. The ideal type of coating depends mainly on the applications in question, the type of machining (dry or wet) and on objectives. Its resistance to high temperatures (up to 1100ƒC) makes the Sunite(r) Alcrona coating especially suitable for dry gear cutting.
The new coating is applied to tools using a high-performance Balzers furnace. Balzers is a leader in coatings and built the relevant installations and developed the programs. Global collaboration between the two companies ensured that Samputensili’s expertise in the production of gear-cutting tools and Balzers’ experience in building coating installations and developing the Samputensili coating centers could be combined. Setting up Samputensili service centers allows the installations to be kept continuously available, leading to an increase in service speed and facilitating the comprehensive control and continuous improvement of the process. It goes without saying that coating is always the final phase of tool processing. Before being coated, the tool needs to be carefully prepared, two aspects which have to be taken into account being the removal of grinding burr and thorough cleaning of the surface. The latter is performed in a variety of cleaning processes with different cleaning agents and using ultrasound cleaning stations.
Sunite(r) Alcrona is the result of continuous development in this field over the past 10 years. Since 1995, aluminum has been added to titanium nitride (TiN), the main component of the coatings, to form TiAlN. This led to a giant leap forward in quality with regard to temperature resistance and hardness, allowing a start to be made on the use of dry machining. In 2000, the proportion of aluminum was increased further (in a ratio of about 2:1 to titanium), primarily to achieve greater hardness. Sunite(r) Alcrona was created when the decision was made to replace titanium with chromium. Aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN), a material which is much more resistant to corrosion and oxidation, was then used.
In 1981, Samputensili was the first Italian company to acquire a coating installation. In 1997, due to the increasing demand for products of this type, the company set up the Centro Servizi (Service Center), a specialized business unit responsible for supporting customers in Italy. This facility achieved quality certification to ISO 9001 in 1999, officially confirming the standard of quality achieved by the Bologna company. The service center has installations for PVD coating and machines for resharpening hobs, shaper cutters and shaving cutters. The coating installations, from leading manufacturers all over the world, were designed and developed in collaboration with Samputensili’s research department, to make possible pioneering products which can be rapidly adapted to the continuous technical advances in coatings.
Sunite(r) Alcrona is part of the extensive range of coatings which Samputensili can offer its customers, regardless of their particular features or business activities. The special approach of the company means that any company which makes gears can be offered instant technical support. Specific requirements like strength, hardness and improvement of machining cycle are examined to arrive at the best possible solution.
Samputensili is 100-percent owned by S.E.C.I. Spa, the holding company of the Maccaferri Group. The Maccaferri Group operates in six sectors: metallurgy (Maccaferri and Bianchini), mechanical engineering (Samputensili, Sampsistemi and Sampingranaggi), construction (Adanti and Sapaba), the food industry (Eridania Sadam, Sadam Abruzzo, Sadam Castiglionese), energy (Termica Celano and Jesi Energia), and property (SECI Real Estate). Samputensili products are used in mechanical engineering, construction, mining, aerospace, shipbuilding, and in making construction machinery, hydraulic pumps, transmissions, lifts, and medical devices. Samputensili has production facilities in Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, the United States, and Korea, backed up by numerous sales offices and agencies all over the world.
For more information contact Patrizia Fiaccadori at 051-4132311, or send e-mail to . Go online to [www.samputensili.it]. p.fiaccadori@samputensili.it.
